Grimmjow's Personal Assistant
by Awen Sofer
Summary: Grimmjow needs a Personal Assistant.  The woman he hires has ulterior motives on her mind.  By the end, they're both taken by surprise by just how personal things get.  OC/AU  *In process of being revised as of 4/11/12
1. The Interview

The Interview

"Mr. Jaegerjaques, your two o' clock is here," the temporary personal assistant announced.

"Oh, good, another one," he grumbled, rubbing his temples. "Send her in." He had been interviewing for a personal assistant for two weeks now. He had just gone through this hell a month ago. Why do they always quit? The troll parade was becoming unbearable. Is it really so hard to be pretty and capable of doing the job? So far the candidates were on two opposing ends of the spectrum. Some were extremely qualified but were ugly enough they would have to hang a pork chop around their neck for their dog to play with them. Since he would have to look at his assistant all day, she had to somewhat good looking. Others wanted the job for the personal part, but would have been useless at assisting with anything besides getting him off. Unfortunately, he needed more than a pretty piece of ass to decorate his lap. There was work and plenty of it to be done. One drop dead gorgeous yet incredibly dense and unbelievably unqualified blond even went as far as to strip down to her underwear during the interview. Of course she didn't get the job, but he did write down her number from her application and slip it in his pocket for future use. What incredible prize awaited him this time?

Grimmjow's eyes narrowed with suspicion as he stared at the person that walked through his door. Okay – now things were getting ridiculous. Someone had to be playing a joke on him, and it was not very funny. What was this? A child? No wait. She was indeed a grown up but a very short one. A midget? No, they don't call them that anymore, and she's not short enough to be one. Anyway, a very short woman, barely over five feet tall, walked into his office. Her dark brown hair was pulled back into a bun so tightly it had drawn back the corners of her eyes giving them a cat like appearance. She was wearing a light blue silk shirt buttoned up appropriately without even a hint of cleavage showing and a dark blue skirt that went below her knees. And glasses; she wore oval, blue framed glasses. Well, she certainly looked like a secretary. Oh, they don't call them that anymore either. This damned political correctness crap was aggravating as hell. It was a good thing he did not care who he offended or pissed off.

Grimmjow stood up as she briskly strode toward his desk. He smiled when she self-assuredly stuck out her hand first for the handshake. Her eyes never wavered from his as she confidently shook his hand. Her handshake was firm and almost manly, but her hand was delicate and silky soft in his palm. He had touched more 'dead fish' than he cared to think about; those limp wristed handshakes with clammy, sweaty palms. He was impressed. Her eyes kept steady contact with his and were brown; the same warm chocolate brown color as those of his friend and fellow CEO, Ichigo Kurosaki. She did not shy away from him or play coy by trying to flirt with him. He was very impressed.

"Mr. Jaegerjaques, it's a pleasure to meet you," she said. "My name is Ermintrude Caesara, sir."

Seriously? Now he knew someone was messing with him. How could such a pretty woman have such an ugly name? What horribly cruel parents. "Do people call you something else?" he asked, noticing a hard, angry look in her eyes.

"Minny, sir," she replied, staring at him with a malicious gleam in her eyes as if she were daring him to laugh.

Grimmjow resisted that urge based on the fact the little woman appeared as if she might stab him with the letter opener laying his desk if he chuckled the least bit. He slid open his desk drawer and pushed the letter opener into it. Better to be safe than dead. Minny? Really? Minny, for a miniature woman. Damn, this woman had some awful people in her life. Oh, the fun just didn't stop with this one.

"Tell me what you know about the company," he said, leaning back in his chair. This should be good. He always received interesting answers to this. His favorite was the blank stare because it made his decision easy. He leaned forward in fascination when she began spouting off facts and figures about the company. She even told him a few things he didn't know about Shinigami Corporation. When did they acquire a coroner's division and a police liaison to deal with issues surrounding murder victims?

"Would you like to hear my job experience next, sir?" she inquired pointedly, her eyes drilling into his.

"Dazzle me, Minny," he invited, smiling broadly as he said her name. He was immediately informed of a stellar work history that included actually having experience as a personal assistant. "How do you feel about blowjobs?" he asked suddenly, interrupting her.

"I don't know. I've never had one, sir," she answered without even a hint of a smile on her face.

Spoken like a true smart ass. Good, very good. He decided to push it a little bit further. "Would you give me one, now?"

"Is that an official part of the interview process?" she inquired, cocking an eyebrow.

"No. Of course not," he snorted irritably. He was disappointed that this did not throw her off at all; it had not even given her pause. She was not acting offended or upset in the least. Truly an unusual woman.

"There's your answer," she responded calmly, smiling sweetly at him.

"Miss Caesara, I don't see any reason to continue this interview," he announced suddenly, stopping her in midsentence after she had resumed listing her qualifications. He slammed his hands down on the desk before he stood up.

Minny closed her mouth and disappointment clouded her eyes. He was amazed that she wasn't going to cry. They usually cried at this part. She stood up and offered her hand saying," Thank you sir for your time."

"Congratulations, Minny. The job is yours," he announced as he shook her hand. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. She was gorgeous when she smiled. This one was a winner all the way around and too good of an opportunity to pass up. Easy on the eyes, knows what she's doing, and can handle his brand of bullshit; she was the woman he has been searching for. He sat back down, watching her walk away in a very prim, ladylike, and tight assed way. She was not sexy in the obvious sense which actually intrigued him. Her school marmish appearance and manners made him wonder what she was like when the clothes were off. She had interviewed for the job based on her merits and abilities alone without trying to seduce him. That in itself was an uncommon occurrence for him. He leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes as his mind wandered. Thoughts of picking her up and sitting her on his desk before he spread her legs filled his mind.

"Oh, and sir," she said, stopping at the door with her hand resting on the knob. She turned her head to look back over her shoulder at him. "You can put any fantasies you might have of screwing me out of your head. I'm here to do a job - not you."

Grimmjow sat forward so fast he almost fell out of his chair. Shit! She was a mind reader too! Yes, indeed. Life for him was about to get interesting. He waited until she walked out of the door before he relaxed in his chair again, putting his hands behind his head. "We'll just see about that, Minny," he said out loud to himself.

* * *

><p>"What an asshole," Minny grumbled to herself as she threw the thick new hire packet on the glass coffee table. She walked toward her bedroom, stripping off clothes and leaving a trail as she went. The glasses came off and her hair came down with a big sigh of relief.<p>

The first part of the plan was as success – she had gotten the job. The plan was simple really: lure Ichigo Kurosaki into her bed. She would have him so addicted to her that everything else would take care of itself after that. He was her goal; not the blue haired walking hard on who just hired her. She would have preferred to get a job working directly for Ichigo but that would not be possible because his present PA, Rukia Kuchiki, had worked for him literally since the company began. Most of the people who worked there had known each other for years before they even started the company. The Shinigami Corporation owned most of the funeral homes, casket makers, and florist shops in the country. Yep, they had a good thing going for them. It was a multi-million dollar industry that would always have a customer base. People died every day and would continue to do so.

After her shower, Minny pulled on a white silk robe and poured herself a glass of red wine. With a big sigh of satisfaction, she sat down to fill out the mounds of paperwork she would need to have completed by tomorrow. She was busy writing in the blanks of the personal information sheet which was proving to be irksome when her doorbell rang. With a noisy sigh of frustration, she dumped the paperwork on her glass coffee table wincing when it made an awful sound as if it might shatter. She pulled her robe tighter around her as if that would help hide her nipples that had suddenly hardened from the mysterious chill she had received before going to answer the door. The sight of a massive bouquet with long skinny legs greeted her vision when she jerked open the door. She leaned against the door jamb waiting for the bearer of beautiful blooms to show himself, although she was sure she already knew who it was.

"I hear congratulations are in order," he said, lowering the bouquet to reveal his familiar fox face.

"Thanks, Gin. Would you like to come in?" she asked, returning the sly little grin that was a permanent part of his face. He always smiled because he was ALWAYS up to something. If he wasn't in the middle of a plan, he was thinking of a new scheme. He was her best friend and sometimes lover.

"Sure would," he answered enthusiastically. His eyes immediately went to her breasts and the grin became lopsided. "Are you happy to see me?"

"Always," she responded, closing the door behind him. "Would you like a glass of wine?" she asked, walking toward the kitchen with a loose jointed swing to her hips that he enjoyed watching.

"Of course. We're celebrating right?" He sat the bouquet on her kitchen counter while he studied her behind as she raised up on her tiptoes to get a glass from the cabinet.

"Yes. I'll have to give you a special thank you for all of that information," she said, winking at him as she handed him his filled glass. "I believe that is what impressed the blunette enough to hire me." She took his hand to lead him to her puffy white sofa.

"I'm sure the fact that you're a beautiful woman had nothing to do with his decision," he murmured, tracing her chin with his finger. He loved her - he had for years. He could not tell her because she did not want to hear it. She belonged to him once but that seemed like a lifetime ago. They were both different then. The only thing holding them together now was a common enemy they were united against. That enemy had made her this cold, mean spirited, and calculating woman. But she was still the woman of his dreams.

"Gin, darling," she murmured, placing her foot in his lap. "You would have been impressed. I was dressed up as the stereotypical, frigid four eyed secretary."

"They don't call them that anymore, sweetheart," he chided, sipping is wine.

"I don't care," she snapped, moving closer to him. Her robe slipped open revealing her thigh as she wrapped her leg around his body. She did not notice the excessive amount of skin showing, but he sure did. "I was great. I believe being dressed like that turned him on more than if I'd walked in and performed a lap dance."

Gin slid his hand up her calf and over her knee as she talked. "You could be wrapped in a brown paper bag and still be sexy," he said, sliding the fingers of his other hand down her neck. He wanted to kiss the smooth ivory skin there so badly, but instead he stroked it again with his fingertips. She continued talking, but he wasn't really listening. "Why do you want Kurosaki?" he inquired, interrupting her. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye to see if she was irritated – she was.

"Hmmmm?" she mumbled, finishing the rest of the wine in her glass. Her anger narrowed eyes were glued to his face watching his jaw muscles flutter under his skin as he nervously worked his jaw. She smiled mirthlessly when his eyes popped open as they met hers. She wished he would open his eyes more often. They were the most alluring shade of blue like the sky in summertime. She ran her fingers through his soft silver hair. If she allowed herself, she could probably love this man again like she once had. She could never trust him though because too much had happened between them. Too much had happened to her.

"Why do you want Ichigo Kurosaki?" he repeated, brushing his fingertips over her thigh. He was treading in dangerous territory questioning her motives no matter how messed up they may be.

"My dear, Gin," she said, straddling his lap and staring into his eyes. She grasped his neck gingerly between her two small hands. "I want Ichigo Kurosaki because he represents everything good in this world. He is kind and giving. He loves beyond himself and without reason. He is a god among men. I want that for myself. I want to own him." She kissed him hard on the lips as she rubbed her body over the growing mound of sexual desire beneath his belt. "Would you like to make love to me?" she asked, nipping his bottom lip.

"Yes. Yes, please," he practically begged, pulling at the belt of her robe. He stopped when she squeezed his neck. She was deceptively strong and his breath was now coming in audible, hard gasps.

"Do you love me?" she asked, her lips brushing his ear they were so close. It caused goose bumps to rise over his whole body in addition to heightening his arousal.

"Yes," he croaked, coughing as it became harder to breath.

"You know that's a mistake, right?" She removed her hands from his neck, kissing him on the cheek. That's the closest he would get to an apology.

"Yes, I know," he answered, kissing her neck. He did not understand why she enjoyed torturing him this way.

"Do you want me?" she asked, feeling the silk slide over her shoulders and down her arms as he pushed it away.

"Yes," he gasped, watching the robe fall to reveal her breasts.

"Take me," she ordered, gasping when he roughly pulled her lips down to his. She sighed with pleasure as his lips pressed kisses down her neck and kept moving further down. Her mind drifted to Ichigo Kurosaki and how she would one day have him like this. 

* * *

><p>*Revised and republished on 0411/12


	2. First Day, Staff Meeting, & New Friends

The First Day

Minny arrived early for work on her first day complete with tightly wound hair bun, blue glasses and matronly navy blue dress. She stopped by the Personnel Office first to drop off her paperwork. A young boy, probably nineteen years old at the most, with chin length black hair and dark blue eyes sat at the desk out front. He smiled nervously at her, and she had to work at keeping a nice friendly grin on her face rather than giving him the predatory smirk she wore when she saw something she liked. She could eat boys like him for breakfast, and she was feeling a little hungry as she eyed the tender young man in front of her.

"I just needed to drop this off," she announced in a light pleasant voice. The boy acted like a frightened bird ready to take flight at any loud noises – or scary horny women.

"You're Mr. Jaegerjacques new PA, aren't you?" he asked with open childlike curiosity. How sweet.

"Yes, I am," she responded quietly. Someone was staring at her with such intensity she could feel their eyes virtually drilling a hole into her skull. Her eyes quickly scanned the room to find her admirer, seeing him at the desk in the back corner. He didn't look much older than the boy in front of her, but his teal colored eyes that were locked on her told a different story. He was much older and wiser than he looked. His eyes held hers as she met his intense gaze; he was completely unapologetic for staring and he had no intention of stopping now that she had caught him. He had spiky white hair and appeared as if he were about the same height and build as her. What he lacked in physical size he made up for with his attitude. Even from this distance she could tell this guy was in charge of his domain and himself; he was the boss here and EVERYBODY knew it. She smiled her warmest most winning smile at him and his lips actually turned further down, deepening his scowl. Fascinating.

"Mr. Jaegerjacques is not the easiest man to work for. He's already managed to make his last four assistants quit in the last six months," the boy said.

"Hana! Shut up!" yelled the white haired man with the glaring problem from the back of the room.

"What's your name, sweetie?" she queried, turning her attention back to the boy in front of her. She smiled as he blushed violently. She had heard the jerk from the back yell it, but she wanted to hear it from him.

"I'm Hanataro Yamada, ma'am. You can call me Hana," he answered proudly. Poor kid. She could tell nobody around here really cared who he was. She knew who he was and she would remember him.

"Nice to me you, Hana," she replied warmly, offering her hand to him which he shook enthusiastically. "I should get to my new boss."

"Well, good luck, ma'am. Welcome to Shinigami Corporation," the boy said warmly.

Minny smiled genuinely this time because she could appreciate the humor of the sick mind that named this company. Death God Corporation was an umbrella company dealing in the business of death; the irony was more disturbing than funny due to it being so self-evident. She walked to the elevator seeing the pint sized white haired man glowering at her as he stood there waiting for the doors to open.

"You're Jaegerjacques new personal assistant," he stated as if she didn't already know, folding his arms across his chest as he scrutinized her. "You're different from the rest."

"I'm different from anything you've ever seen before," she declared rather egotistically, raising her eyebrow at him.

"I have no doubt about that," he responded with a wry grin. "Well, good luck with the blue haired asshole. We've already got an office pool going as to how long you'll last."

"If I survive a year, do I get the money?" she asked, surprising him enough it knocked the smug grin right off his face. She smiled sweetly when he turned to stare at her.

"You're on, sister," he said, shaking her hand. "I'm Toshiro Hitsugaya. You can call me Mr. Hitsugaya."

"I'll call you Toshi and you'll like it," she retorted, glaring at him with enough fire in her eyes she made him wonder if he would spontaneously combust.

A sincere smile spread across his face as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Damn!" he exclaimed, chuckling lightly. "I might have just lost a bet."

"See ya later, Toshi!" she called out when they exited the elevator.

The dozen or so people who had heard her yell the nickname in reference to him gaped at her as she walked by. Minny did not realize she had gotten away with something very special by calling that hostile little man Toshi. Shrugging her shoulders at their odd behavior, she continued on to her new boss's office. She didn't bother knocking before she burst into the office. She stared in disbelief at what she saw or what she thought she saw because he moved so fast. He had been masturbating when she walked and bolted out of his chair in a guilty manner. A libidinous smile spread across her face as she watched him hurriedly pull himself back together in record time, tucking in his shirt and fixing his pants in about three seconds flat. Her eyebrow arched all the way into her hairline, and she pursed her lips to keep from laughing when he turned to look at her with a faint blush on his cheeks. He was so cute right now having lost the extreme sexiness to extreme embarrassment.

"You're early," he said, his voice a little too loud and a little too high pitched. He stared at his glass desk wondering what the hell he had been thinking when he got that one instead of the large wooden one with an enclosed front.

"Yes, sir. It's a habit of mine. I'm always early," she responded, still fighting the urge to laugh as he blushed darkly.

"I'll keep that in mind for the future," he responded, finding something to stare at out of the window to avoid her amused gaze.

"So is _that_ a habit of yours, sir?" she inquired, biting her lip so hard to hold back a giggle she nearly drew blood.

"No!" he retorted defensively, swinging his furious gaze back to her. "Do you ever knock?"

"No, sir, I do not," she answered bluntly, catching him off guard. His cerulean blue eyes locked on hers.

"Could you make it a habit?" he asked, obviously irritated as he put his hands on his hips. His annoyance was also showing by the way his blue brows pinched together between his eyes.

"No, sir, I will not." She smiled pleasantly as his lips compressed into a thin white line of anger. She moved toward him in a slow languid manner like a cat stalking its prey. Her breasts grazed his chest she stood so close to him. "Since I'm your personal assistant I should have access to you at all times to be at your beck and call. I shouldn't have to knock because I will be able to anticipate your every need, sometimes even before you know what you need," she said in a sultry voice, feeling his rock hard abs beneath his dress shirt as she pressed her hand against him. "Therefore I will be able to get to you so much faster to give you what you need."

Grimmjow inhaled a deep shaky breath, looking down at the incredibly sensual woman staring up at him. He glowered at her wondering what the hell had just happened. At what point did he lose control of this situation? When did she become his boss? He might have gotten hold of something that would present an even bigger challenge than he imagined. Was it possible he has met his match? His hand moved to her neck and he was pleasantly surprised when she did move away from his touch. With her quiet, nerdy demeanor, he thought she would be the type to compliantly await his orders, but she was whoop ass with a pretty face. How wonderfully intriguing.

* * *

><p>Staff Meeting of Shinigami Corporation<p>

They arrived at the staff meeting late of course thanks to her fabulous boss who could be as stubborn as a mule and twice as irritable. The blunette strutted in with cocky self-assurance as if he owned the place. He took his seat at the end of the table across from her spiky orange haired target. He tossed a conceited smile at Kurosaki who greeted the gesture with a glare so icy it could have refrozen the polar ice caps. If these two treated each other this way as friends, they would kill each other if they were enemies.

Minny felt her heart stop when Ichigo turned his warm brown eyes to her and gave her a smile big enough to show his teeth. She smiled back, lowering her eyes demurely and blushing lightly. There were no empty chairs in the room so she was stuck standing by her boss at the corner of the table. It was a good thing he was seated at the very end.

"You could sit in my lap," he offered, turning toward her in his chair. His legs were spread wide to proudly display the tent he was pitching in his dark blue trousers. A lascivious grin split his face because her eyes were riveted to the area between his legs while a pretty pink color crept into her cheeks and spread across her face.

"Uh, no thanks," she replied with disinterest. She ignored him, opening her leather bound notebook to take notes from the meeting.

"I'll go get you a chair," Ichigo offered, attempting to get up.

"I'm okay really. Don't bother since the meeting has started," she said, smiling at him. She turned her attention to the man speaking at the opposite end of the table, Byakuya Kuchiki, the President of Shinigami Corporation. The chief officers of the different departments and their personal assistants were seated at the table for the meeting. Apparently they were so accustomed to Jaegerjacques not having a personal assistant they had gotten rid of the extra chair.

Minny's breath caught in her throat when she felt Grimmjow's hand pressed between her shoulder blades. She held her breath as his huge, hot paw slid down her back and over her behind. She jumped, making a small squeaking sound as his hand cupped one whole butt cheek in his large palm. Taking a stab at being subtle, she cleared her throat as a hint for him to remove his hand. Subtle was not a word in his dictionary.

"Mr. Jaegerjacques," she called sweetly in a low voice, bending down to him.

"Yes, darling?" he inquired, squeezing her behind as it pressed into his hand. He offered her a sexy smile, pinching her butt _hard_.

Minny bit her lip to keep from crying out because it hurt. "Please, get your hand off my ass," she requested in a quiet, serene voice coming eye to eye with him.

"What if I don't?" he responded, smiling up at her.

Minny bumped his chair, spinning it around until he faced her. She put her knee right on top of the hard bulge in his pants and pushed down. He emitted a high pitched wheezing sound like compressed air escaping from a tight valve. His face turned red and his eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head. She heard a snorting sound to her right which was Kurosaki stifling a laugh.

"Is there a problem down there?" Mr. Kuchiki demanded scornfully, eyeing the dark haired woman leaning over her boss. He was obviously perturbed by the distraction that had interrupted the meeting.

"I apologize, sir. Mr. Jaegerjacques seems to have some breathing difficulties this morning," she said slapping him hard on the back a few times before standing back up. "I'm afraid he might be sick." He was sick all right. She waited until Kuchiki had begun his speech again before turning to the blue haired asshole. "Sir, if you touch me like that again, I will break your fingers…one by one," she threatened quietly. The warning was no less caustic due to lack of volume. She resumed taking notes to distract herself. A pitiful groan passed his lips moments before his head fell forward and his forehead contacted the table with a resounding thunk. 'Oversexed degenerate', she thought to herself, allowing a wicked grin to curl her lips. She looked up, catching Kurosaki's eyes on her and a big amused grin on his face. Well, she had gotten his attention; not in the way she planned but he was aware of her. Step two complete.

* * *

><p>New Friends<p>

"Hi, I'm Rukia Kuchiki," the little bitty black haired woman with big purple eyes introduced herself.

"I'm Ermintrude Caesara. Call me Minny," she said, shaking her hand. They were about the same size; it was so nice to find someone on her level, literally. The fact this was woman was Kurosaki's assistant made it even better.

"Nice to meet you," she replied in a very friendly manner. "Would you like for me to show you around?"

"Sure. I would love a tour," Minny responded happily.

"Our floor of the building has all the offices of the chief officers and department heads," she stated, pointing out the nameplates on the doors.

Minny only halfway listened to the running commentary as they passed each door and Rukia said the name then gave a short summary of the person. She didn't bother memorizing any of it unless the person or something about them could be of use to her. Names and people did not interest her unless they benefitted her in some way. The tour continued around each floor of the building as they worked their way down the other seven floors.

"Now, the basement-" the dynamic dark haired woman started, ready to continue the tour.

"Rukia, please!" Minny exclaimed, sitting down on a nearby bench in the lobby.

"I'm sorry. You must be tired. Hey! It's lunchtime! Want to go to lunch?" she asked exuberantly.

'Where does she get all this energy?' Minny wondered, curling her toes in her shoes to relax her sore feet. "Sure!" she replied with feigned excitement.

"Rukia!" a male voice bellowed suddenly. A severe looking man with a long red braid hanging over his shoulder approached them. He was attractive and downright sexy wearing a plain white t shirt and jeans with black biker boots.

"Oh, darn! I forgot my husband was meeting me for lunch," she sighed, poking out her bottom lip in a pout. Her smile returned when the man sidled up next to her and pulled her to him in a sideways hug that looked rather awkward given their height difference.

"It's okay. We'll definitely do it another day," Minny assured her, standing up.

"Renji, I want to introduce you to someone. This is Minny. She's Jaegerjacques new personal assistant."

"Another one huh?" he snorted, looking her up and down. "Wonder how long this one will last."

"Until this one so chooses to quit the job. Nice to meet you, Renji," she said in an even tone, looking up at him with a defiant lift to her chin. There was something oddly familiar about him.

"Mmmm, she's feisty one," he mumbled, smiling at her with approval. His eyes lingered on her face as if he was trying to place her as well.

Minny continued to stare at him because that niggling feeling she knew him just would not go away.

"You might actually be able to outlast the blue haired asshole." He spoke to her directly this time. His words could have been mistaken as encouragement until he added, "Everything will be fine until you give in and have sex with him."

_**Until **__you give in and have sex with him._ So it was assumed that she would succumb to his so called charms. If Jaegerjacques had any charm, she had yet to experience it. That was it! That's why Renji seemed familiar! He was an asshole. It was the attitude she had recognized and not the man. She dealt with an asshole on a daily basis so she was accustomed to it.

"Oh, let me tell you what she did to him in the meeting," Rukia chattered excitedly to Renji as they turned to walk away. "Bye, Minny!" she called back over her shoulder with a wave.

"Hey! Need a lunch date?" a deep voice asked behind her.

"Toshi!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck. She smiled when she heard his sudden intake of breath from the shock of her unexpected display of affection. She let him go quickly when he backed away from her.

"You're not married are you?" he asked, staring at her with a cocked eyebrow.

"No. Why?" She giggled when he grabbed her arm, pulling her to his side.

"I don't want to have a jealous husband breathing down my neck." He squeezed her briefly then let her go. Somehow she had gotten him caught up in her silliness. She influenced him in a way he did not understand.

"Captain!" a woman's voice echoed through the lobby.

Minny looked at Toshiro with concern when his golden skin turned pale. He closed his eyes and his chin dropped to his chest as the voice rang out again. Minny searched for the source of the yelling, tracing it to a blond woman with the biggest breasts she's ever seen in her life running toward them. "D-D-D-Da-yam!" she purposely stuttered her eyes as big and dinner plates.

"Yeah. I know. Her breasts enter the room and she follows soon after. Next time I'll pay more attention to the qualifications and not the bra size when hiring an assistant. She's the biggest damn airhead I've ever known and lazy as well," he grumbled, raising his head.

Does everyone in this damn place have an assistant? Why don't the assistants have assistants? This is ridiculous.

"Why don't you fire her?" Minny whispered before the woman could reach them. The woman arrived with a slide and a bounce before he could answer.

"Captain!" she yelled again almost knocking Toshiro over with her sizable bosom.

"Matsumoto, dammit!" he bellowed in a very big voice for such a small man. "How many times have I asked you not to call me that?"

"I don't know, Captain. I lost count," she answered, her large blue eyes round, innocent, and totally blank.

Minny turned away to stifle a giggle. The lights are on but no one was home.

"What do you want, Rangiku?" he inquired impatiently, rubbing his temple as if he were getting a headache. He was rewarded with a blank stare from big blue eyes. "Well?"

"Uh..." She tapped her chin, rolling her eyes to the ceiling as if she were going through a mental file searching for the answer.

"I'm going to lunch now," he snapped peevishly, grabbing Minny's hand.

"Where are we going, Captain?" Minny giggled as he pulled her away from the woman who was still thinking.

"Shut up!" 

* * *

><p>*Revised and republished on 0411/12


	3. First Contact

First Contact 

Minny arrived to find a tall vase full of lovely white calla lilies on her desk. There was an apology note from her boss advising that he was suddenly called out of town, and she was on her own today. That was not a cause for apology; that was a cause for celebration. She had mounds of paperwork to complete and a long list of call backs to make to clients. First she needed some coffee so she set off for the employee lounge and the coffee pot. While the coffee was brewing, she searched for the sugar because the container was empty. A loud sigh of agitation escaped her when she saw it on the top shelf. She stepped on one of the lower shelves to boost herself a little higher, holding on to the edge of another as she stretched up to reach. Much to her surprise, she felt a brawny arm wrap around her waist and strong body press against hers.

"Let me help you," a man murmured in her ear. He held her firmly as he easily reached up past her hand to retrieve the sugar. "Sugar," he said, handing it to her.

"Thank you, honey," she giggled, glancing over her shoulder to see that her helper had orange hair.

"Hi," he said, his voice low as he looked into her eyes. He was still holding her against him with his arm securely around her waist. He either did not notice or did not want to let her go. "I'm Ichigo Kurosaki. You're Minny right?"

'Oh, he's knows my name!' Minny screamed in her head. 'How old am I?' she chided herself, mentally shaking it off. "Yes, I'm Minny Caesara," she answered, quite content in her present position.

"I guess I should put you down now," he said but still held her.

"You don't have to," she rejoined, tipping her head toward his in an invitation to kiss her.

Just as his lips were about to touch hers, a fellow employee walked in and they jumped apart like teenagers who had been caught by a parent.

"Would you like some coffee?" Minny asked, glancing at the other person in the room with them.

It was a pretty woman with long purple hair, dark brown skin, and unique golden eyes. The woman smiled at her as she held out a cup to Minny. She threw a quick look at the pink faced Ichigo then looked back at the brown haired woman in front of her who was calm but very quiet. "He wants something, sweetie, and it ain't coffee," she murmured, winking at Minny.

"Yoruichi!" the offended man yelled as the woman walked out of the room. "Sorry about that."

Minny giggled, handing him a cup of coffee. "You remember who I work for right? It takes a whole lot more than that to offend me," she assured him, using the sugar in her coffee that he had assisted in retrieving .

"She is right though," he murmured, turning away so she could not see his grin as she spluttered and choked on her coffee.

Minny cleaned up the coffee that she had spewed over the counter. She was sure that impressed him greatly. Her eyes met his, and he appeared to be thoroughly entertained. "Enjoying the show?" she inquired.

"Not yet. You haven't taken anything off." He gazed at her as he raised his cup to his lips.

Well, isn't this an enticing development? Get him alone and that shy, quiet exterior disappears to reveal a smooth talking lothario.

"Would you like to take to me to lunch?" she brazenly asked.

"Yes, I would. I'll come by your office to get you at noon."

"I can't wait." 

* * *

><p>Minny experienced the longest four hours ever! The minutes seemed to tick by even slower as the hour neared when he would be arriving. She was nervous and jittery but most of that could be contributed to the four cups of coffee she had drank while they talked. They had talked for so long that Rukia had come looking for her wayward boss to retrieve him because there was work to be done.<p>

Minny was completing a call when the time finally arrived, and there was a soft knock at the door. After he tentatively opened the door and peeked in, she motioned for him to come in. She turned back to her desk to complete the call quickly so they could go to lunch. When she hung up, she turned around to see him propped comfortably against Grimmjow's desk waiting for her.

"Where would you like to go?" Ichigo inquired, pushing off the desk to follow her as she walked by.

"It doesn't matter. You choose," she replied, waiting for him to open the office door for her. Her heart beat faster when his hand pressed against the small of her back to lead her out. She doubted she would eat much anyway because food was the last thing on her mind right now. Things had progressed better and smoother than she could have imagined.

One thing she was not prepared for was how much she would genuinely like the man once she began getting to know him. They took an extra-long two hour lunch which won them many stares and sly smiles from coworkers when they returned. They had simply talked, in a restaurant, nothing more. Minny was beginning to think she had made a terrible mistake. She might actually be able to have real feelings for this man and that frightened her more than anything. He was honest, sincere, and kind. An extreme flirt but he wasn't dirty about it like a certain blue haired asshole. He enjoyed innuendos and double entendres. That was more appealing that Grimmjow's in your face, hey-baby-suck-on-this style. He really was Mr. Wonderful. 

* * *

><p>Minny arrived an hour early for work the next day to catch up on things she did not get done because her constant daydreaming all afternoon yesterday had kept her from completing the work. She chided herself for acting like a lovesick kid. She was too old for this silly business and besides, she had not come here to fall in love and especially not with him. No, she had come here to seek and destroy like a deadly missile. Why in the hell did she want to do that again? She shook her head to get rid of the thought as she plopped down at her desk. There was a pink envelope sitting right in the middle of her desk with her name written on it in a familiar scrawl. Ermintrude Caesara Aizen. Her fingers began to tremble as she reached into the envelope to pull out a birthday card. It a was a lovely, romantic picture of a couple in love judging by the way they held each other as they stood by the ocean at sunset. One devastating line was written inside.<p>

_Happy Birthday, Baby. I know where you are._

Damn.

"What's wrong?" Grimmjow asked, staring at her with a hint of concern in his eyes. He had not meant to startle her. He had never seen her flustered by anything and not only was she rattled, her whole body was trembling. She was already light skinned but now she was deathly white. What was written on that card? "Minny? What is it?"

"Nothing. I just received a card from someone I thought was a part of my past and I would never hear from again," she answered cryptically.

"Are you sick? Do you need to go home?" he inquired, sitting on her desk. He put his hand against her cheek, surprised by how cold she felt. He pulled her up from her chair and into his arms to warm her up. She was in shock.

Any other time, Minny would have been mortified to find herself in Grimmjow's arms like this. She laid her head against his chest, leaning her body into his as if she were trying to suck the warmth out of him into her frigid body. A year seemed to be the top out on her bids for freedom. It was just under a year the first time before he found her. It was a little over a year this time. Why did she even bother? There really was no escape from hell.

"Minny?" Grimmjow whispered her name. He pulled her head up, staring into her eyes.

Minny gazed back at him thinking what a beautiful shade of blue his eyes were. She closed her eyes as his head bent to hers, and she felt his lips on hers. It was a shockingly gentle and undemanding kiss, hinting at nothing more than trying to offer her some kind of comfort. A sigh of contentment rolled out of her as he held her firmly against him and kissed her tenderly. She was beginning to thaw out quite nicely. Warmth grew in her belly and spreading to the rest of her body. The hunger followed when he deepened the kiss, holding his hand against the back of her head. Her fingers loosened his tie and unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt. She moved against him when his hand slid down her back and over her behind. She grunted when he grabbed her ass like he had that day of the staff meeting, but this time she was pulled against something large and stiff between his legs.

'_Until you give in and have sex with him.' _Renji's snide words echoed through her head.

"Mr. Jaegerjacques! Unhand me this second!" Minny yelled, pushing her hands against his chest in a halfhearted attempt to get away. Right now it wouldn't take much to make her give in.

"Damn! What a time for you to come back to your senses," growled Grimmjow, doing as she had asked. He immediately released her and walked away. He stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

Minny dropped down into her chair, pressing the back of her hand to her lips. She had almost done something incredibly stupid. Her eyes landed on the envelope on her desk. She grabbed the offending thing, ripping it in two. That gave her a small sense of satisfaction so she did it again. She continued to shred the card until she had a small pile of confetti on her desk. Her head snapped up and toward the door to see Grimmjow striding back in with a slight smile on his face. Ech! She knew where he had been and what he had been doing. He was something unbelievable.

"Here. You might need this," he said, handing her a drink.

"You did wash your hands, right?" she joked, taking the unopened bottle from him.

"Pervert," he accused, turning pink on the cheeks.

"Did you?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow. She was not asking him about the hand washing but what he did before. His blushed deepened from her relentless questioning.

"Yes, and yes, I did, you damn tease, I'll admit it. You can't kiss a man like that and rub against him then just leave him hanging," he griped, plopping down heavily in his desk chair.

"Maybe you should take it down a notch or ten then a real woman would have sex with you. Wouldn't it be nice to have sex with someone besides Rosey Palm and her five sisters?" she asked, taking a sip of the soda.

"Damn, you gotta filthy mouth," he muttered with a salacious grin on his face. "I have no problem getting a woman. I almost had you, didn't I?"

Minny blushed hotly. He was right. "I didn't say anything nasty," she retorted defensively, ignoring the last part of what he had said. "Sex was the only thing that came close to being dirty and that's a clean, clinical term. Speaking of clean and clinical, wouldn't you prefer to have sex with women that aren't cesspools of STDs and other unmentionable things?"

"Now, you're just being a bitch," he snorted, propping his feet on his desk.

"But that's one of the things you like about me," she shot back calmly.

'Yep, just one of the many things, my lovely lady,' he thought to himself as he gazed at the catty and downright bitchy personal assistant of his. She might be all those things but she was also damn good at her job and keeps his ass in line. He could not ask for anyone better. He did not want anyone else. 


	4. A Room with a Blue

A Room with a Blue 

"You're kidding right?" Minny moaned as she looked at the room. One queen size bed. She had specifically reserved two rooms with two double beds. They plan was to have boys in one, girls in the other. They had received one room with one queen size bed. "I'm going downstairs to fix this."

"Now, now just wait. We can work with this. Besides, it's spring break. There probably aren't anymore rooms available," Grimmjow said, bringing that important fact to her attention. The hotel and the beach were covered up with university students on their breaks to enjoy the warm weather.

"I'm going to try anyway," Minny grumbled with determination. 'Who's damn dumb idea was it to schedule this business meeting in the middle of spring break. It could have waited a week,' Minny thought to herself as she stomped toward the elevator. She knew it was a big business deal because they were about to acquire another franchise of funeral homes, but still it could have waited a few days. It's not like there is a big rush on companies to buy funeral homes.

"I'll come with you," Ichigo offered, running to catch up with her. He reached her just as the elevator doors opened.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, stabbing the L button for the lobby. "I can't believe this. I reserved two rooms. This is an unforgivable mistake," she muttered. She felt like kicking someone. She was sure her boss would come through for her and give her a reason to take out her frustration on him. At some point he was bound to do or say something stupid giving her the opportunity to smack him. Before the doors to the elevator were even open all the way, she was off and running to the front desk which was swamped with half naked young people in swimsuits and cut off shorts.

"I can't believe they sent us to negotiate the contract this week," Ichigo said, scratching the back of his head as if trying to figure out what to do.

Minny pushed her way through the crowd, demanding to speak to a manager. After much bitching and moaning on her part and profuse apologies from the hotel manager, they still did not have another room. They would later have free steak dinners complete with desserts from room service and champagne. She carried two bottles of wine with her now that were consolation prizes to get her to shut the hell up and go away.

"Here," she said, shoving a bottle into his hands. "Maybe this will take the edge off. There will be more coming later along with chocolate. Champagne will be served with the steaks for dinner. Hope you like it rare."

Minny leaned against the mirrored wall of the elevator closing her eyes. She heaved a very noisy sigh of frustration grasping the neck of the bottle she was holding so hard her knuckles began to turn white.

"It will be okay," Ichigo said, his voice sounding very close to her.

Minny found out just how close when she felt his fingers brush against her cheek. His breath tickled her neck as he bent to press a kiss just below her ear. Goose bumps prickled her skin, rising to the surface as his hand grazed her ribs through her thin shirt. She kept her eyes closed, pushing her glasses up to rub the bridge of her nose as if she had a headache. Her breathing ceased completely when she felt his lips on hers. She put one arm around his waist while she held on to the wine with her other hand. A moan escaped her when his tongue tentatively touched her lips then carefully slid into her mouth. Desire exploded within her, causing her to break into a sweat when his tongue touched hers. Her eyes remained closed when he broke the kiss and moved his lips toward her ear kissing her cheek on his way there.

"I've watched you. I've seen how you stare at me. I know what you're thinking because I'm thinking it too," he stated seductively his warm breath raising goose bumps across the back of her neck. His hand slid around her waist, pulling her against him. "Open your eyes. Look at me now."

Minny did as he asked and was greeted with a view of his desire laden brown eyes boring into hers. She opened her mouth to speak but the words would not come so he kissed her again.

The elevator beeped and the doors opened causing both of them to jump apart violently. Grimmjow and Rukia stood at the open doors with an expectant look on their faces. Minny only shook her head, walking to the room as fast as she could.

"Told ya!" her boss yelled after her. That was her opportunity to knock the crap out of him, but she was too busy making a quick retreat.

"Shut it, asshole!" she yelled over her shoulder. She found a bottle opener in a drawer of the fully stocked bar in their room. She took down one of the glasses and filled it before walking onto the balcony to enjoy the cool breeze.

"Are you all right?" Grimmjow inquired, joining her and sitting in the chair across from her. He took off her sandals and put her bare feet in his lap.

"I just makes me angry. How hard is it to do your job and do it well? To call them unprofessional would be a kind understatement," she snapped, sighing deeply. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against her chair.

"You would know about doing a job and doing it well. I'm glad I found you. You're doing a great job for me. I've never been so organized and accomplished so much. You're even getting me to places and meetings on time which has shocked everyone. You're a great assistant," he complimented, rubbing her calves. "You're an amazing woman."

"Did you just give me a compliment?" she asked, popping open one eye to look at him.

"Yes, I did," he replied, digging his fingers into the tight muscles and pulling a moan from her lips. "Don't do that or I'll say something perverted and ruin the moment." 

* * *

><p>After the promised apology dinner arrived from room service and was swiftly demolished by the four hungry people, they all went their separate ways to find some kind of distraction. Ichigo went to work out at the hotel gym. Grimmjow went to a bar; no surprise there. Rukia decided to go shopping inviting Minny but she declined. She knew the vivacious little woman would run her legs off and she was already tired. She just wanted to relax so she decided on a leisurely stroll on the beach.<p>

Minny sat down in the sand after she had been walking for a while. She closed her eyes to listen to the rhythmic sounds of the waves hitting the shore. Reaching up, she pulled out the pins that securely held her hair. When her hair was free, she allowed it to blow freely in the strong ocean breeze. The glasses came off next, and she held them in her hand as she closed her eyes once again to revel in the cool wind and calming waves.

"Damn," she heard a familiar male voice murmur.

Minny opened her eyes to see Grimmjow standing next to her with a bottle of champagne and two glasses in his hand. She had never let any of them see her this way and she had never wanted to, especially him. Oh, well. It was too late to run now. Her eyes remained on his as he dropped into the sand beside her. She held her breath as he reached out to touch her face.

"You are absolutely stunning. You're beautiful," he said, placing both hands on her cheeks.

Minny's eyelids fluttered closed as he bent his head to kiss her. Their lips met in an awkward way with her catching his full bottom lip between both of hers and his top lip above hers. It was an unusual kiss just like the man giving it. She wouldn't expect anything less from him. Her arms moved around his shoulders as she leaned into him. She rolled onto her hip, throwing her leg across him as he turned toward her.

"This isn't working," he mumbled against her lips. After sitting on his behind, he pulled her over his lap to straddle his hips and the burgeoning mound making his khaki shorts feel way too tight.

Minny felt herself blush, her eyelashes fluttering down to her cheeks when she kissed him again. This wasn't supposed to be happening. Grimmjow wasn't supposed to be falling in love with her. Only Kurosaki was supposed to fall in love with her. What was so important about him again? What were her reasons? Suddenly she couldn't remember as Grimmjow's tongue spiked with some alcoholic drink slid into her mouth.

"Minny, can I make love to you?" he asked, sliding his hands under her t shirt to her breasts.

After blanching at the word love, Minny recovered and queried, "Here, now? Right here in the sand?"

"Oh, dear god, anywhere, Minny," he moaned, kissing her again as his hands covered her breasts. "But it's got to be right now. I want you."

It had worked in their favor that she had worn a knee length skirt. After some difficulty, she removed her underwear while he prepared for her by taking his erect manhood out of his shorts.

"Are you kidding me?" she gasped as she stared at it.

"What? What's wrong?" he asked, reaching for her.

"It's huge!" she exclaimed, biting her lip as she hovered above him with the head pressing against her body.

"Just take a deep breath and go slow. You'll adjust. You'll like it," he murmured in a very deep, sensual voice as if she needed convincing.

Minny did not know what made her do it. Maybe it was because she had not been with a man in quite a while because her sometimes lover had been out of the country on business too long or a simple matter of curiosity, but she wanted him and she was going to have him. Her hands twisted into the hair at the base of his skull pulling slightly as she lowered herself onto him. A groan of pain mixed with pleasure slipped past her lips as she carefully settled herself onto him.

"Are you going to leave me after this? Will you quit?" he inquired, pulling her head back to look at her.

"Not unless you want me to," she answered, looking into his eyes to see something akin to a desperate need, a longing – for her.

"Please, don't. I need you," he said, pulling her lips to his as he moved under her.

Minny gasped, pulling away as pain radiated from deep in her belly. She would adjust but not soon enough. Apprehensively, she moved up a little then slid back down. A low growl rumbled in his throat, encouraging her to do it again. With his hands around her waist, she started moving up and down tentatively, steadily increasing length and speed of her movements. It was a good thing it was late and there were not many people on the beach. If someone did happen to come near, they would stop moving their bodies to kiss because no one would really pay much attention to people kissing on a romantic beach. After this happened several times causing a delightful tension to grow and intensifying their desire for each other, they decided to end this thing and really let each other have it. It became a flurry of thrusting hips and pistoning bodies. Until finally the delicious end came with a roar and scream (him and her respectively) and they sat there shaking with their arms wrapped around each other.

"Wow," he murmured, kissing her neck. "You're even more fun than I thought you would be. That was great! When can we do it again?"

"Huh?"

"How about now?"

"Now?" She squealed as he thrust his hips up at her. "Oh, god!"

"Now."


	5. The Defining Moment

The Defining Moment 

"Should I give you a few more minutes to finish yourself off?" Minny joked when she entered his office and the chair was facing toward the window.

"Not today, Minny. I'm not in the mood," he said, his voice very soft. He made a sniffing sound. Was he crying?

Minny silently walked toward him easing around his chair to look at him. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw the tears flowing down his face and dripping from his chin. She placed the stack of papers she had been carrying on his desk. She stood in front of him, using the hem of her dress to wipe away his tears like a mother would on their child. He did not seem to mind though. Her fingers stroked his cheeks as he turned his red bloodshot eyes up to her. The blue of his eyes virtually glowed as he stared into her eyes.

"What is it?" she asked, holding his chin in her hand as he looked up at her. They had been having a relationship for a while at this time so there was no reason for her to be shy. She still wore the bun and glasses at work. Since both of them were able to compartmentalize their emotions quite well, they had managed to maintain a front at work that nothing was going on between them. Minny had given up her pointless vendetta toward Ichigo and decided to have him as a flirty friend instead. She did not know if he knew what was going on between them, but she would imagine he had guessed by now.

"My sister is dead, Minny. She was murdered," he said, tears flowing freely down his face again. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her forward to bury his face in her dress against her belly.

Damn. She had no idea he had a sister. She had not even bothered to ask about his family, but he had never volunteered the information either. They were too busy having sex to take an actual interest in the other person's life. Minny stroked his downy soft hair to comfort him as he sobbed into her. She could feel his whole body shaking. The man had feelings; he had a heart after all and now it was breaking. Her eyes began to burn and her vision blurred. What the hell? Tears overflowed her lids and coursed down her cheeks. Things had the possibility of getting complicated. They were both feeling something. It was not for each other but the show of any emotion was bound to stimulate other emotions. Emotions were like bacteria; they would grow and multiply until a person was infected. Then the 'sickness' of love could overwhelm them.

"Do you need to take care of the arrangements? Were you her only family?" Minny asked, swiping at the tears on her cheeks with the back of her hand. She felt him nod against her abdomen. "Give me her name and information. I'll take care of everything. Okay? I'm going to call a car for you. Get ready to go home."

"I don't want to go home. I don't want to be alone," he whined like a petulant child, holding her so tightly she thought for sure he would squeeze her in half.

Minny closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She rubbed his shoulders and neck, desperately wishing he would let go of her. This was too much emotion. What had all of these people done to her? She had already abandoned her plan. It was stupid and pointless. She had gotten to know all of these people, and she actually cared about them. She cared about them! Oh, how the hell did this happen? "I'll go with you. You don't need to be here. You're a mess," she said. "I'll be right back."

Minny walked down the hall to Ichigo's office. Rukia ran around the desk to her, embracing her tightly. "Rukia, Grimmjow's sister is dead," she stated abruptly

"Oh, dear. How can we help?" she asked, her purple eyes blinking rapidly to push back tears.

"What's wrong?" Ichigo inquired, coming out of his office.

"Um, Grimmjow's sister died. I found him in his office when I got here. Needless to say he's really upset. Ichigo, can you go talk to him?" Minny inquired, wiping the new tears from her cheeks

"Yeah, sure," he replied, kissing her on the cheek before he walked out of the office.

"Listen, go take care of him. He needs you right now," Rukia said, hugging her again. "Do you love him?"

"What? How did you…"

"Oh, sweetie, you two haven't been able to hide anything. Everyone knows."

'Great. Just wonderful,' Minny thought to herself, sniffing loudly.

"Listen, Ichigo knew Nel very well so we'll take care of the arrangements. Okay?" Rukia pulled Minny to her chest, stroking her back.

It was at that point Minny realized she was crying again. She was crying for him, sharing his pain. Did she love him? Right now all she felt was confused and sad. She would have to figure this out later. 

* * *

><p>Minny had taken him to her apartment. She fixed him a drink and sat it on the glass table in front of him, but he didn't notice. An imaginary spot on the wall had his full attention as he thought, trying to sort out his feelings. She had an idea of how he felt. She remembered how hard it was to deal with her parents death. She had not been there, and it had hit her like an oncoming train.<p>

"We weren't that close, but she was still my sister," Grimmjow mumbled, his eyes not blinking as they continued to stare at nothing.

Minny stayed silent putting her head on his shoulder. Since she did not know what to say, she kept silent. She wondered how she would feel when Sosuke died. Without a doubt she would have mixed emotions: joy and happiness. But that was not the case for her grieving boss.

"Minny, do you love me?" he asked, pulling her into his lap so he could see her face and hold her in his arms.

Damn, why is everyone asking that question? Now is not the time for the hard questions, when emotions are already strained and running high. This is when people say things they do not mean and do stupid things they cannot take back.

"Yes, I love you," she heard herself saying as if someone else was in control of her body. Stupid things like that. What? What did she just say?

Grimmjow laid his head on her chest with his cheek pressed against her breast. He slowly rocked her back and forth on his lap, holding her firmly against him. "I believe I have loved you since the moment you verbally whipped my ass on your first day." He reached into her hair, removing the clips one by one to release her long brown curls. He pulled her hair down, raking his fingers through it like a comb. "Amazing, simply beautiful," he whispered as if talking to himself as he pulled her hair over her shoulders still running his fingers through it. He reached up for her glasses, gently sliding them off and putting them on the table. "You're the loveliest thing I've ever seen," he said, tracing the contours of her face with his finger. "Why do you choose to hide it? Especially with your super bitch attitude?"

"Why do you act like such a conceited, oversexed, narcissistic asshole?" Minny asked snottily.

"Point taken," he rejoined, exhaling loudly. "I'm glad I have you here to help me through this. One of the weak, emotional types would have driven me crazy and been annoying."

"What can I do to help you? Tell me," she said, sliding her fingers through his hair as he continued to paw and play with her curls.

"Just love me," he replied, staring up at her with his big blue eyes that held a pleading, puppy dog look in them.

It wasn't fair. This unadulterated emotional blackmail. Minny lowered her lips to his, kissing him so she did not have to look into those eyes filled with sorrow and misery begging for her love. It was a simple request and an easy thing to give – for most people. She never saw this coming especially not from him. That was why she always felt safe with him. He was a coldhearted, unfeeling bastard who thought about nothing but himself and who he could screw next. All of his bullshit and bluster was nothing but a façade. Maybe she had more in common with him than she thought. 

* * *

><p>Minny stood beside Grimmjow staring at the white casket about to be lowered into the ground. She felt him squeeze her hand, and she squeezed back. She wondered if he knew Ichigo was holding her other hand as she stood sandwiched between the two men. There must a hundred people at the funeral and most of them were Shinigami Corporation employees. She dropped Grimmjow's hand when he walked forward to place the white rose on the casket. When he stepped back, she released Ichigo's hand so he could lay down his rose. A few more people she did not know came forward to lay roses on the gleaming white surface of the casket. One of the people was an extraordinarily tall man with long black hair. Tears were streaming down his thin face as he lay down his rose then bent down to kiss the casket giving her the impression he was a boyfriend or fiancée - definitely someone who had a very intimate connection with her.<p>

"Ow, stop," Minny hissed when Grimmjow squeezed her hand so tight she thought he might break it.

"Sorry," he apologized, releasing her hand and putting his arm around her waist.

Minny felt Ichigo immediately drop her hand when his friend's arm slid around her. This must be hilarious to anyone watching despite the fact they are at a funeral. Or that could possibly make it even funnier since it's so terribly inappropriate. She sighed deeply closing her eyes. They ached from all of the crying she had done the last few days. She would be embarrassed to admit a lot of it was for herself as the past reared its ugly head and viciously attacked time and time again with sudden flashes of memories and vivid nightmares.

When the funeral was over, Minny wandered away to stand under a tree while Grimmjow accepted condolences from people. She leaned against the rough bark absentmindedly running her fingers over the bumpy, rugged surface.

"What are you thinking about, honey?" Ichigo asked, walking up beside her.

"A lot of things. I'm really confused right now," she answered, turning to look at him.

"About what?" he inquired, moving to stand right in front of her. He placed a hand on the tree by her head as he leaned forward.

Minny sighed with exasperation as she gazed into the warm brown eyes hovering in front of her. This was not helping. Being this close to him only added to her confusion. She was still attracted to him, but they had decided just to be friends. But…

"What? Tell me," he said, kissing her on the forehead.

Minny closed her eyes concentrating on taking long slow breaths. She questioned whether he was doing this intentionally or if he even knew how deeply he effected her.

"It's really hard to explain," she stated vaguely, staring at the gnarled roots of the tree beneath her feet.

"No, it's not. You don't know which one of us you want. You love him, but you still have this attraction to me that you don't understand and don't know how to stop. Don't worry, honey, I know how you feel," he murmured, pressing his lips to hers.

Minny was too stunned to respond to the kiss. He did know exactly how she felt. He had just expressed in those few sentences everything she had been thinking and feeling. This man really was special.

Ichigo held her face in his hands as he gazed down at her. "Take your time to figure it out. I'm not going anywhere."


	6. An Unwanted Visit

Warning: Violence and rape.

An Unwanted Visit

Minny was having a relaxing Saturday night all by herself. She was on her couch in her favorite white silk robe, drinking a glass of wine. She was reading a book instead of working on mounds of paperwork. The whole L-word debacle had died down now that they were several weeks past the funeral. Everyone's emotions had calmed down, and they had gotten back to a certain degree of normal. Long meaningful stares and provocative statements meant to elicit an emotion response were made but nothing specific was discussed. The three people were trying to avoid a messy love triangle that could destroy them and their careers particularly since one of the angles was being stubborn about admitting her feelings for either one of the others. Her doorbell rang, and she growled grumpily. How many times had she asked Gin to call or at least text before he came over? She stomped to the door without checking the peephole which proved to be an almost deadly mistake.

"Sosuke Aizen!" she cried out when she opened the door. She shrieked when he shoved her with enough force to knock her on her behind. How did he get up here? He should not have been able to make it past the lobby. He smooth talked his way past the guards downstairs no doubt. Lies and deception had always been one his strong points. He could make anyone believe anything. He was the type of person who could tell someone to go to hell and they would look forward to the trip there.

Sosuke slammed the door behind him so aggressively it made the frame rattle. His eyes bore into hers as he walked toward her. He grabbed her by the hair snatching her to her feet. "Hello, little sister," he growled menacingly, lifting her off the floor by her hair. A grin of satisfaction curled his lips as she howled in pain with tears running down her face. With one hard shove, he slammed her into the wall hard enough the dry wall around her cracked.

Stars exploded against the black background of her closed eyelids and her body registered pain so immense she was instantly numb but unable to move as she dropped lifelessly to the floor. Her eyes slowly opened to behold the blurry image of her brother standing above her.

"You should have learned the first time. You will never, ever, get away from me. You have always been mine and always will be," he said, kneeling down next to her.

Minny was unable to protest in word or action as he pulled the belt from her robe. She grunted when he roughly jerked her robe from her body because it sent pain that felt like a thousand tiny daggers stabbing her at once through her whole body. Her head ached and throbbed so intensely she could hear her heartbeat thundering in her ears like thousands of stampeding horses. Tears ran from her eyes as he tied her hands with the belt of her robe. He had done something like this once before when he felt she needed to be punished. Pain and stars assaulted her once again when he hit her in the face, delivering the first closed fist punch ever to her face. He did not care what she looked like after this because he intended for her to be dead. She had seen in it eyes. Something warm and wet ran down her cheek; most likely from a cut she had received from that damn pinkie ring of his.

"Baby, see what you made me do," Sosuke admonished her, licking the trail of blood from her face.

Minny squeezed her eyes shut, cringing from the feel of his warm wet tongue on her cheek. She kept her eyes closed when she heard the jingling of his belt buckle signaling that he was disrobing. She knew what was coming next. Her body trembled from dread of the impending sexual violation she was about to receive.

"You should know, Minny, that no man will love you like I do," he murmured, lying down on top of her. He covered her mouth with his as he shoved into her, violating her mouth as well as her body so her screams would stay buried deep in her throat. "Baby, you feel so good," he panted in her ear as he tore into her.

Minny was almost relieved when the blood came because then it did not hurt so badly. It still hurt and she wished she were dead, but at least every stroke did not bring a fresh searing pain as she ripped open more and more. She felt the sting of a slap on her face and opened her eyes.

"There you go. Look at me, my love," he said, holding her face with one of his hands as he propped himself up with the other to continue raping her while he stared into her eyes.

Minny refused to cry out in pain no matter how intense it became. She would withhold whatever might give him any kind of perverted gratification from her agony. Her eyes closed when the pain became overwhelming and she grunted to hold back a scream.

"Go ahead. Scream for me," he taunted, thrusting into her harder.

"No," she growled through her teeth. Her body was quaking and shuddering violently under him which stimulated him to the point he released inside of her. She watched him as he stood up, her eyes widening in horror when she saw the blood covering him from his navel to his upper thighs.

"I am not done with you yet," he warned, grabbing her by her bound hands and dragging her down the hall to her bathroom. He unceremoniously dumped her in the tub, turning on the cold water full blast.

Minny screamed as the icy water poured down on her, and her already shaking body virtually went into convulsion from the freezing cold water. She cried out as he pulled her out of the tub just as the water was warming up. Her body shivered violently as he wrapped her in a towel and sat her down on the sink counter. She scooted to the edge, staring at him behind the shower curtain as she soundlessly dropped down to the floor. Dizziness swept over her and threatened to slam her to the floor. Her hands were still bound but they were in front of her, and she could move her fingers. Her cell phone was in the living room, and she had to get to it.

"Minny!" Sosuke bellowed when he saw her through the clear shower curtain.

Minny opened the door and ran out attempting to get to the living room, but he was too fast. His body was still in the same athletic shape it had been in at the height of his college football career. She screamed as he grabbed her by the hair and jerked her down to the floor. Her breath was knocked out of her when she landed flat on her back.

"You are going to pay for that, dear sister," he threatened venomously, dragging her down the hall by her hair.

The towel was pulled from her body by the friction of the carpet rubbing against it, then her skin was left without a barrier to separate her from the carpet. Her behind and back felt like it was being seared in a hot frying pan as the friction burned into her sensitive flesh. She screamed when he picked her up and threw her onto the bed. Her teeth bit into her bottom lip when he literally jumped on top of her and proceeded to punch her in the face. Mercifully, her world went dark.

* * *

><p>"Ichigo!" Grimmjow yelled, running into his friend's office.<p>

"What?" Ichigo demanded impatiently from the interruption.

"She's not here. She hasn't shown up for work, and she won't answer her phone. You know as well as I do this isn't like her," he explained, his blue eyebrows knitted together with worry.

"Come on. Let's go to her apartment and see what's going on," his friend suggested and both men ran out of the office.

They arrived at her apartment twenty minutes later, hurriedly explaining the situation to the security guards at the desk in the lobby. One of them went upstairs to open her apartment door for them.

"Oh, my god," Grimmjow gasped, seeing the huge spot of dark brown dried blood on the floor in the foyer. He looked at the wall and saw the imprint of a small body.

"What the hell happened here?" Ichigo asked, following the trail of blood down the hall to the bathroom.

"Minny? Minny!" the blue haired man called, starting to panic when he was greeted with nothing but silence.

"She's in here," his orange haired friend responded when he opened the door to his right. He could see her form lying on the bed but the room was very dim so it was impossible to see why she did not move. He flipped on the light and almost vomited as he hit the floor because his knees failed him.

"What is it? Oh, my god," Grimmjow gasped again, transfixed as he stared at the horrific scene in front of him. He grabbed Ichigo by the shoulder when he heard him gag, and he felt like doing the same thing himself.

"I'm calling an ambulance and the cops," the security guard announced, running from the room.

Who would do this? How could they do this? They thought it was pointless to call an ambulance at this time because surely she had to be dead from blood loss alone. Minny had been left tied to the headboard. Her body and the bed were covered in blood. Some of the blood had even splattered on the wall and floor. She had bruises and cuts on her arms and legs. Her bottom lip appeared to be split in half and there was a long cut under her right eye.

"Oh, Minny," Grimmjow murmured. He wanted to touch her, but he could not. For one thing they had come upon a crime scene and for another he just could not bring himself to touch her beaten and abused body.

"Minny, no!" Ichigo cried, covering his face with his hands because he could not bear to look at her.

Both men were startled and almost scared out of their minds when she unexpectedly inhaled loudly. Her eyes opened, and she turned her head to look at them. "Help me," she whispered before losing consciousness again.

"She's not dead. Oh, my god, she's not dead!" Grimmjow yelled with relief, rushing forward to untie her. He unwound the bloody piece of material from her wrists and lay her arms down by her sides very carefully. He grabbed the comforter from the floor to cover her bloody body that had begun to tremble.

"Hey! The paramedics are here!" the security guard exclaimed as he moved aside so they could come into the room and tend to Minny.

Police officers arrived soon after and unleashed a barrage of questions. Grimmjow and Ichigo were soon let go so they could follow the ambulance to the hospital.

"Ichigo, I love her," Grimmjow announced on the way to the hospital.

"Are you sure?" his friend asked, not happy to hear that.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life," he answered confidently. "I'm going to ask her to marry me."

"Are you sure?" the agitated man repeated his earlier question.

"Whether she knows it or not, she needs someone to love her and take care of her. I want to do that."

"Good luck convincing her of that, buddy."

Ichigo stared out of the window hoping that Grimmjow was speaking out of runaway emtions and temporary insanity. He hoped the man had no intention of asking her to marry him. However, when the blue haired asshole got it in his mind to do something, he did it. With a wry grin, he had to admit that Grimmjow and Minny had quite a bit in common. With any luck those commonalities would make them horribly suited to each other as a couple. How could he convince them both that their relationship was a terrible idea?


	7. Revenge

*Warning* Murder Scene

**_Revenge is a confession of pain. ~Latin Proverb~_**

Revenge

"Gin, I need you," Minny said as soon as he answered his phone.

"I'll be right over," he replied excitedly.

"Not for that you idiot!" she exclaimed, ignoring his loud sigh of disappointment. "Sosuke's back. He hurt me. Worse than before."

"Oh." There was silence on the other end of the call. He was not sure what to say. Once again his attempt to keep her safe and out of her brother's grasp had failed. "How did it happen? When did it happen?"

"You know him. He has his ways." She shivered, feeling sick at her stomach. She had been out of the hospital for two months after a week-long stay. The physical pain was not so bad now. The mental anguish just seemed to go on forever; some days were worse than others. The nightmares were the worst.

"All right, I will help you," he assured her. "Can I see you?"

"I'll come to you." 

* * *

><p>Grimmjow virtually moved in with her the first month she was home from the hospital because he wanted to take care of her and be there for her. He had insisted she stay at home to work and rest, but it was hard to rest with all of the work he was dumping on her. Maybe he thought he was helping her by keeping her busy. The man was about to drive her crazy because he was so overprotective and watchful. He made all kinds of excuses to come by during the day when he should have been at the office. He stayed right next to her at night even sleeping in the bed with her and holding her in his arms all night long. He never pushed it any further though, not even kissing her, considering what happened.<p>

Minny would get irritated and frustrated with him but not angry because he was doing it out of concern. He cared about her in a genuine way which was surprising given how their relationship began and the type of man he was. In addition to him, people from the office, particularly Ichigo, Rukia, Toshiro, and Hana came by often as well. She could have anything she needed, any time of day from her friends. A smiled pulled at her lips: friends. Minny had never before in her life had any real friends. Her brother Sosuke was the main reason: he either ran people off from the start or she would disillusion them herself when they began getting too close and her emotions got involved. Rage and hate simmered inside of her like lava beneath a dormant volcano. It didn't show on the surface but it was there waiting to explode; to burn, crush, bury, and kill whoever stood close.

By the second month after the incident, Minny was back at the office, Grimmjow was back at his apartment, and everything had returned to a nice, normal routine. She could see the pity and concern in everyone's eyes at work when they looked at her, and she would be glad when that stopped. The rage grew stronger every day, but she had a plan. A plan that would end this and make sure her brother would never hurt her again. 

* * *

><p>Minny toyed with the metal braces on her forearms as she walked up to the front door of Sosuke's sprawling mansion. She had lived here for many years with him as his wife (in duty and physical aspects, not by law of course) and personal assistant rather than his sister. Handsome, intelligent, charming, successful, stinking rich and a hopelessly disturbed psychopath: that was her brother. She tugged down the sleeves of her coat very carefully so she would not accidentally trigger the spring loaded knives on her arms. She had come to kill him. It's been said that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned; years of shame and abuse can unleash hell with more power than rejection. She rang the doorbell and held her breath. After what seemed like an exceedingly long time, she heard movement from the other side of the door. She exhaled noisily as sweat beaded above her lip. The door opened slowly, filling her with dread and nausea. When the door opened all the way, there he was, staring down at her with nothing on but a robe which was open and flapping in the breeze.<p>

"So I didn't kill you after all," he said with a hint of disappointment in his voice. "I left you to bleed to death."

"Sorry to disappoint you again, dear brother. It must be agonizing that after all these years you have yet to destroy me no matter how hard you've tried," she retorted calmly, sweeping past him when he moved to the side.

"So you have decided to come home to me. You know where you belong. I knew you loved me," he said with a lascivious grin, running his fingertips down her face. "You are as lovely as ever."

Minny had chosen to wear a sheer white dress that was cut down to her belly button in the front with a white leather trench coat over that to hide the knives. The dress was a distraction so he would not even consider the possibility that she came to do anything besides apologize in his favorite way. She had chosen to wear his signature color because evil wears white in his world. She glared at him without saying a word. Her brown eyes were hard and cold, completely devoid of emotion as they stared at his face. She was beyond anger and pain at this point. She had mentally gone to the special place where ruthless killers emerge.

"Have you missed me? Have you missed my touch?" he asked, his fingers caressing her erect nipple that stood out firmly beneath the thin dress. "You are obviously excited to see me."

"Of course I am. You have no idea how much I have been looking forward to this," she answered truthfully, swallowing hard to fight back the bile that rose in her throat.

"Show me how much you have missed me," he ordered, pulling her toward him.

A lopsided, wicked grin that somehow managed to be seductive twisted her lips as she brought her arms up between them. This was it. Her moment had arrived to take back her life and end his. Licking her trembling lips as she stared at him, she carefully placed her hands flat on his chest right above his abdomen. Memories of the past played through her head as she positioned her hands. Her mouth was dry and her throat felt like it was closing up with the prospect of what was about to happen.

"Sosuke Aizen, dear brother, I did love you once. You meant the world to me," she purred, allowing him to press a brief kiss to her lips. She gazed into his eyes that were just like hers as he ran his fingers through her hair. "But then you became something else. Some kind of sick monster straight from hell. So now, I must send you back."

Minny crushed her lips against his pressing her hands against his chest which released the triggers. The metallic blades made a low hissing sound as they slid out, soundlessly piercing his body without the slightest hint of resistance as they sliced through skin, muscle, and soft tissue. A loud grunt quickly followed by a gasp escaped him as the sharp blades impaled his heart and lungs. His arms contracted around her so tightly she could not breathe. She cried out when a searing hot pain and the crunch of breaking bone reached her ears as he broke at least one of her ribs. His eyes were wide open with pain and shock as he stared at her. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as blood flowed down his belly. She pushed up on him as hard as she could to hold the blades in place while his body became heavier and heavier. The blades had pierced his body quickly and smoothly. She wasn't sure it had worked until she felt the warm sticky flow over her hands and arms. Blood now dripped from her elbows and ran down their legs to pool on the floor. He made a gurgling sound as blood filled his punctured lung and prevented him from breathing. Her hand was pressed against his heart and a new wave of blood gushed down her front with each beat which was getting progressively slower.

"You bitch," he gasped, grabbing her neck and squeezing with what little strength he had left.

"Yeah, I know. Payback's a bitch and so am I," she growled through her gritted teeth. She thrust him back and away from her. Her gut twisted at the sickening sound the smack of his head made on the marble floor. She dropped to her knees, panting heavily as she looked at his bloody body and sightless, dead eyes that stared at the ceiling.

It was over. Her brother was dead. He would never hurt her again. Why didn't it feel better? Why was the emotional pain still there? Why was it worse?

"Minny, get up," Gin urged, pulling her up from the floor. He snatched the bloody coat off of her and threw it into the trash bag he held. Off came the dress, the shoes, and the weapons. He handed her towels to wipe off the blood and that went in the trash bag as well. All of this would be burned when they reached his house.

Minny took the clean dress from him and pulled it over her head. A strange numbness had set in that left her unable to think and barely able to move.

"Sweetheart, come on. We've got to go. Now is not the time to breakdown on me. It's over," he said, kissing her on the forehead and pulling her along by the hand.

Minny followed him out of the door to the car. 'You killed him. You killed him,' her mind taunted her. Tears burned her eyes and flowed down her face. A strange whimpering sound began in her throat then erupted from her mouth as an anguished howl. She cried agonizing tears from years of pent up misery and woe.

Gin stroked her hair in an attempt to comfort her. He was taking her to his secluded home for a few days to help her get through the worst part of the aftermath. He knew she would need time to come to terms with not only what she did but what drove her to this point. "Sweetheart, I love you. I'll get you through this," he assured her, pushing her into the passenger's seat of his car. He dumped the trash bag in the trunk and they were on their way.

"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry." She kept repeating as if it were a comforting mantra.

'Why does she keep saying that? Who was she apologizing to? What was she apologizing for?' he wondered, stealing a glance at her as she rocked back and forth, hugging herself and repeating the apology.

Minny was going over what she was sorry for in her mind.

_I'm sorry for what I've done._

_I'm sorry I didn't kill him years ago._

_I'm sorry I'm damaged beyond repair._

_I'm sorry I can't love you, Gin._

_I'm sorry I love you, Grimmjow._

* * *

><p>"Minny?" Gin called, kissing her forehead. He smiled as he looked down at her in his arms. He had not slept much last night because it had been impossible. She had nightmares and flashbacks all night long that caused her to wake up screaming. He would barely get her calmed down from one episode before another would start.<p>

"Gin, when will it stop?" she inquired, pressing her head again his heart to listen to its steady, comforting beat.

"I don't know, sweetheart. I wish I could take it away. I wish I could take it _all_ away," he said, kissing her cheek and embracing her tightly.

"Your love is one of the things that has kept me sane all of these years," she murmured, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt in her hands as she nuzzled into him.

"I know. I will never stop loving you. I'm an idiot that way I guess," he chuckled mirthlessly, running his hands through her hair.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, pulling her head back to look at him.

"For what?"

"That I can't love you back."

"Oh, Minny, in your own weird way you do."


	8. One Year Anniversary, Surprise Seduction

One Year Anniversary

Minny stepped out of the elevator onto her office floor wondering if she had missed the end of the world. All of the desk chairs were empty. There was no one walking around. Phones were ringing off the hook, and there was not one single person to answer them. What had happened here? Her mind was busy trying to find a logical reason for everyone's absence when she walked into Grimmjow's office.

"Surprise!" everyone yelled. She was surprised all right. She had been so startled she jumped backwards, lost her balance, and fell flat on her behind. Mystery solved! Everyone was waiting to scare the hell out of her in her office.

"Oh, honey!" exclaimed Ichigo rushing forward to help her. He grabbed one arm and Grimmjow grabbed the other to help her up. "I told you this was a bad idea," he snapped at his friend.

"Since when do I ever listen to you!" the blunette retorted, hugging his, even he assumed, girlfriend to his side.

"My point exactly, genius!" he rejoined, pulling Minny back toward him.

"What's all this?" she asked to distract the arguing children before they pulled her in half. She took the glass of champagne from Rukia, drinking it down without tasting it to calm her rattled nerves.

"Don't you know what today is? I thought women were supposed to remember these things," Grimmjow whined with an exaggerated hurt look on his face. This woman was truly different. That's why he loved her so much.

"What?" Her eyebrows drew together in confusion while she desperately tried to remember. "What's so special about today? It's Thursday."

"It's your one year anniversary of working here," Toshiro announced because he couldn't stand those two idiots keeping her in suspense any longer. "Congratulations! You survived a year with the blue haired asshole. You won the bet," He walked toward her with a big fat manila envelope in his hand. He held it out to her then pulled it back as she reached for it. "You've got to give me something first." He intended to piss off the blue haired asshole royally. He hated losing bets so he had to get some kind of satisfaction out of this.

"What?" Minny queried, shaking out of Grimmjow's tight grip because his fingers were pinching her arm.

"A kiss will do," he answered, smiling hatefully at Grimmjow who shot back an equally malicious look. He knew there was not a thing the jealous blunette could do about it. Even though a kiss was inappropriate office protocol, it was a party and that kind of outlandish behavior was expected. Beating the hell out of a coworker in a jealous rage was something else entirely.

"Seriously?" Minny snorted.

"Oh, go ahead. Maybe it will finally give the little jerk something to smile about," Grimmjow growled as if she needed his permission.

Minny slid her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his. She sighed with satisfaction as Toshiro's soft lips gently moved across hers intensifying the kiss and the unexpected longing that had blossomed inside of her. This was just what she needed – another man to lust after. He had been far too good of a friend this last year to ruin it with a romance.

"Okay, short stuff, you've had your fun," Grimmjow snarled, prying them apart. He looked at their glassy, love drunk eyes and added, "Maybe a little too much fun. Hey, Minny!"

"Hmmmm?" she murmured, staggering slightly. WOW! He may be short but apparently that's fun sized in human terms. She could hear Ichigo laughing his head off behind her as her blue haired boyfriend stared down at her with an anger reddened face.

Rukia slapped Ichigo across the back of the head then proceeded to make her way around to do the same thing to Grimmjow and Toshiro. "MORONS!" she yelled, taking Minny by the hand to lead her out of idiot central.

"Thanks," Minny giggled. She leaned to whisper in Rukia's ear, "That was amazing! I thought I might faint."

"Huh? Really? Who would have thought the ice king could make someone so hot?" she chuckled, handing her friend a piece of cake.

"Ooooh, chocolate! My favorite!" she exclaimed, digging into the cake.

"I've heard that chocolate is a good substitute for sex because it releases the same endorphins an orgasm does," Rukia stated matter of factly as if she were talking about who won the latest Novel Peace Prize.

Minny choked on her endorphin releasing chocolate cake with the chocolate fugde icing. She was still coughing when she felt someone walk up behind her.

"I've got another surprise for you," Grimmjow whispered in her ear.

'Oh, dear god, please no more surprises,' Minny thought to herself, shoving in another bite of the cake before he led her away. She started getting nervous when he led her to the middle of the room where everyone could see them. Her eyes moved to his pocket where his hand was pulling out a dark blue velvet ring box. Oh, hell no! He was not about to…he bent down on one knee in front of her. Oh, yes he was.

"Minny Caesara, you are the most amazing woman I have ever known. Somehow you were able to get to know me and still love me anyway. I've loved you since the first time you put me in my place. I want my place to always be with you. Will you marry me?" he asked, opening the ring box as he held it up to her.

Minny blinked rapidly to hold back the tears welling in her eyes as she struggled to breathe. She stared at the square shaped blue diamond set on a thin platinum band that sparkled dazzlingly in the florescent lights. "Oh, my god!" she gasped, her shaking fingers flying to her lips. She felt dizzy and giddy with the sudden rush of emotions. Now what was she supposed to do? She couldn't very well tell him, 'Hey, let me think about this proposal, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.' That worked for a business proposal but this was a wedding proposal and he had made it front of the whole damn office.

"Minny, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" he asked searching her eyes nervously when she did not answer.

The room was eerily quiet except for the rustling of clothes as people shifted nervously. An occasional person cleared their throat as the tension and discomfort grew in the silence.

"Grimmjow, I-," she began and her words failed her. Her fingers trembled uncontrollably as she reached for the ring. She gasped when he held her hand, taking the ring from her fingers.

"I love you, sweetheart. I want to be with you. I want to love you and protect you always," he said, his amazing blue eyes studying her face. He reached up to stroke her cheek as tears flooded down her face. A smile nearly split his face in two when she began to nod.

"Yes. I'll marry you!" she answered after finally finding her voice. She threw herself into his arms, pressing her lips to his. Her mind was like a runaway train going down an endless track. As people came up to give them hugs, kisses, and handshakes of congratulations, her one overwhelming thought was, 'What the hell have I just done?'

* * *

><p><span>The Surprise Seduction<span>

Minny stood up from the desk rubbing her neck. She had stayed late to finish some paperwork while her boss/fiancée took out a group of clients to wine and dine them to close a deal. It was now eight o' clock and she was tired; but she wanted to complete the paperwork on this last deal that he had signed. A smile lifted the corners of her mouth because it still amused her that he was head of the florist accounts. The most virile, masculine man in the office and his department was flowers. She could have pictured the effeminate and always beautiful Yumichika being the CEO of the floral contracts; that would have made perfect sense. She walked around to the other side of the desk as she stretched. A mistake jumped off the page at her so she leaned across the desk to correct it. The barely audible sound of the delicate click of the knob turning caught her attention. Ah, he was trying to sneak up on her! She stayed leaning over the desk, checking figures and filling in blanks. She could feel rather than hear him walking up behind her. Her breathing stopped when he eased up behind her, molding the lower half of his body to her backside and legs. She pushed up on her toes, rubbing against the hard object that lay like an iron rod across her behind. The moan she heard was not Grimmjow's low, guttural almost animalistic sound. It was a lighter, softer voice that made this sound. Her eyes flew open when she looked at the reflection in the window in front of her.

"I-Ichigo?" Minny stammered, staring at him in the reflection.

"I just wanted to come by and offer you my condolences, I mean congratulations, privately," he said, a wry grin twisting his sweet pink lips.

"That's not funny," she snapped, standing up. She turned around when he stepped back which enabled him to trap her against the desk with his body as soon as she faced him. "That was a REALLY bad joke considering our line of work."

"I thought surely you of all people with your warped sense of humor could appreciate it," he murmured, eyeing her lips as if they were something to eat.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked. If she could have backed away she would have. She gasped when he grabbed her waist to hold her firmly when he lowered his lips to hers. The kiss was tender and unhurried like he had all day and every right in the world to kiss her. She did not fight him, she just accepted it. Besides, he was a good kisser.

"Congratulations on your engagement, my dear. I hope you'll be happy with him." Thinly veiled sarcasm had tinged his voice. He kissed her again but briefly this time. His brown eyes locked on hers as he continued to hold her.

Minny felt warmth begin to flow down her body starting from her head and trickling to her toes. Her lips parted to speak, but no words came. A few months ago she would have killed for this moment, to have him like this, but things had changed. The effect he was having on her body was disconcerting.

"Ichigo, what do you want?" she asked, licking her dry lips.

"I want you," he answered barely above a whisper. His hand moved up her back setting fire to every nerve ending along the way with the acute awareness of his touch. She was so painfully aware of him and his intentions it almost physically hurt, a strange sort of pleasurable pain. A small whimper rose from her throat when he released her hair, brushing his fingers through it. His lips grazed hers, and she was dismayed but not surprised to realize she wanted more.

"Ichigo, please!" she exclaimed, shoving him away forcefully. "You're supposed to be his best friend."

"So what? You don't even really want to marry him. You just said yes to keep him from being embarrassed. It's been two weeks. Don't you think you should let him off the hook?" he asked, taking her hand in his. He slowly moved back toward her, placing her hand on his shoulder while he tentatively slid his arms around her as if they were going to dance. The only dance he wanted was the horizontal mambo. He pressed his lips to hers, putting his hand on the back of her head so she could not jerk away.

Minny grabbed the lapels of his suit jacket, drawing him into her. She parted her lips when the tip of his tongue touched her bottom lip to request entry. A moan bubbled from her throat as his tongue slid against hers. He was so incredibly gentle and sweet and DOING IT AGAIN! She shoved him away a second time, struggling to breathe as she stared at him. His shoulders rose and fell as his breath came in deep gasps.

"Damn, you're smooth! Would you please stop doing that?" she snapped, wiping her tingling lips with the back of her hand.

"But honey…"

"Please don't call me that."

"Minny," he sighed, grabbing her when she tried to walk past him.

"Oh, please," she whined. "Stop making this so hard."

"But I want you."

"I want you too, but I'm engaged."

"You're not married yet," he reminded her, tracing her lips with his finger. "One night is all I ask. Let me be the last man before you marry him. I'm going to be the best man after all. You can know I am firsthand."

"You're bad," she accused, blushing as he grinned salaciously at her.

"But in a good way," he teased, putting his lips on hers before she could move.

"You're relentless." She had an idea. If he wanted her, he would have to play hell to get her. "Okay, you can have me, but not here, not like this."

"Then what?" he asked, kissing her neck as he held her tightly against him.

Minny felt his rock hard erection against her belly. "Schedule a meeting for an out of town client. Convince Grimmjow yourself to allow me to go with you. Rukia has to set up all the arrangements after you explain to her why she's not going with you."

"Seriously?" he asked, raising his orange eyebrows in surprise.

"If you can make that happen, you can have sex with me all you want for one weekend," she said with a smug smile, confident that it will never happen.

"Pack your bags and a bottle of lube, honey, because your ass is mine."

* * *

><p>After a week, Minny forgot about the ridiculous bet. He could NEVER pull it off. On Wednesday of the second week, she was out at lunch with Toshiro when Ichigo's head popped above the booth seat Toshi was sitting in. He was wearing the biggest, dorkiest grin she had ever seen. She couldn't help but laugh at him. Toshiro grew irritated and downright indignant when Ichigo slid into the seat next to Minny.<p>

"What the hell do you want, Carrot Top? Don't we have to deal with you enough at the office?" he muttered.

"If you don't mind, I just wanted to speak to my girlfriend here for a second. Hell, I'm going to do it even if you do mind, Snowman," he responded calmly, the little man's venomous tone had no effect on deterring him. "Pack your bags, sweetheart. We leave on Thursday and don't get back until Monday. I prefer strawberry lube, scented AND flavored. Better get the extra-large bottle," he said, pressing a quick kiss to her lips before her mouth could fly open in shock.

My girlfriend? What a dumbass. She always thought he was quiet and subtle and now he was being openly stupid.

"What the hell was that all about?" Toshiro asked. He stared at Ichigo who walked away whistling happily. "What's wrong with him?"

"I'm not sure what's wrong with him, but I just got screwed," she murmured, taking a big sip of her cold water.

"Well, and I'm just guessing here by what was said, you aren't screwed yet but you're about to be. And hard," he said, his eyes gleaming with a suppressed laugh.

"And I thought you were my friend," she snapped, throwing the butter knife at him.

"I am. That's why you're going to tell me exactly what the hell is going on with you and your little love triangle," he stated bluntly, staring at her with his penetrating turquoise eyes.

"Do you really want to know?"

"I love soap operas. I'm sure this will be a good one because I already know all the characters."

"You're a mean little man, Toshi."


	9. The Decision

Make a Damn Decision 

"Calm down, sweetheart," Ichigo said, taking her hand in his. "Don't you like me?"

"Of course I do. I'm just nervous," she snapped, jerking her hand out of his.

"You stay right here. I'll go check us in." He kissed her on the cheek before trotting to the front desk.

Since she was not married yet, this technically was not cheating. Then why did she feel guilty? And why did she care? Minny occupied her tortured mind by looking around the luxurious hotel lobby. The beige marble floor was so shiny she could see her reflection in it. All of the decorations and furniture were varying shades of brown and white. It appeared as if a chocolate factory had blown up in the room because that was what all the colors called to mind.

"Let's go, honey," he whispered in her ear, laughing when she jumped away from him like a startled deer. She exhaled noisily which caught his attention. "Oh, come on! Is the thought of having sex with me that bad?" he asked, pressing the elevator button.

"No. I just wish you would have asked me before I was engaged. Then I could experience joy instead of guilt."

"Oh, sweetie, you can always experience both."

"Mmm," she grunted, pressing her lips together. "That was almost funny."

"Me –yow, bitchy kitty. And I wanted a sex kitten," he murmured, poking out his bottom lip as he pouted in the most overblown manner.

The elevator doors opened, and they stepped into the mirrored box. Did they just intend for people to have sex on elevators now? Why were so many of them mirrored? Ichigo pulled her into his arms, turning her so her back was against his chest. He caught her eyes in the mirror, holding her gaze. He certainly did like the intimacy of eye contact. His hand slid up her belly, covering her breast. His lips moved against her neck kissing gently while his hand squeezed and pinched her breast. Then again this could be pretty damn enticing. Minny watched his face as she moved his other hand between her legs and moved against him. His eyes fluttered closed and his lips slightly parted as he moaned. She moved again and he bit his lower lip, rubbing her through the thin material of her cotton shorts. It was her turn to moan. He still made her knees get weak; she could not help it.

"We'll be there soon, and you'll be mine," he whispered, nipping her earlobe. He pushed her forward, keeping his hand on the small of her back as the doors opened on their floor.

Minny was now shaking with desire and anticipation. All guilt and thoughts of her fiancé had been pushed aside. She took several deep breaths as they walked down the hall to find their room. They were at the very end of the hall where a little alcove that held an ice machine and drink machines separated their room from the next one.

"I requested this specifically so we can make as much noise as we want," he said, winking at her as unlocked the door. "You first, honey."

Minny yelped when he delivered a stinging slap to her behind when she walked by. She rubbed her sore butt cheek before she sat down on the chocolate brown silk comforter on the four poster bed.

"Look," he said, holding out a square of dark chocolate to her. He knew she loved chocolate. That was why he picked this hotel because that was the whole theme of it, from the decorating to the food, everything was supposed to be a reminder of chocolate.

Minny reached out to take it, and he jerked it back out of her reach. She glared at him when he raised a finger like he was admonishing a naughty child.

"Open your mouth," he ordered firmly and in a sexually teasing manner.

"You're kidding," she snorted, leaning back on her elbows on the bed. He popped the chocolate in his mouth to show that he was not kidding. "Asshole."

"If you can open your mouth to say that, you can open your mouth for me to stick something in it I know you'll like." He held up another piece as if she were a trained dolphin.

"Good grief," she groaned, ignoring the lecherous grin that pulled at his lips after saying that. She kept her eyes on the brown square in his hand as he wedged himself between her legs. She sat up, opening her mouth while she raised her eyes to his face.

"Was that so difficult?" he asked, studying her face as he placed the small square on her tongue.

Minny closed her eyes, allowing the chocolate to melt on her tongue. She slowly sank back down on the bed to lie flat, ignoring him so she could enjoy the experience of the chocolate. A deep sigh escaped her as her brain released endorphins and her body relaxed. She felt the bed shift with his weight, then his warmth as he lay next to her. She did not open her eyes or move.

"You can't play dead you know," he joked, tugging her hair gently.

"I know. But it doesn't hurt to try," she whispered, laughing at herself. She opened her eyes to look at him, seeing that he was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling. She scooted up to the top of the bed where he was propped on all of the pillows. Since she didn't have a pillow, she used him, placing her head on his chest. She closed her eyes as he stroked her head and hair as if she were a pet.

"I won't do anything that you don't want me to do," Ichigo said suddenly, turning her face up to look into her eyes. "I never want you to regret anything you've done with me."

Minny was taken aback by this. Where had this come from? A few minutes ago he was acting like he would get into her pants at any cost and now he was suddenly backing down. She snuggled closer to him, tracing the angle of his jaw and his chin. "Why did you bring me here?" she asked, watching his jaw clench and unclench.

"Selfish reasons mostly," he confessed, tightening his arm around her. "Why did you tell him yes?"

"You already know. Why are you asking again?" She toyed with the collar of his polo shirt with antsy fingers.

"I want to hear you say it."

"I don't have to admit anything to you."

"You're right. Tell me how you feel about me, honestly," he stated, bluntly, rolling over on top of her.

Minny bit her lower lip as she stared into his loving brown eyes. She wanted to tell him she loved him and wanted to be with him. She had already told one man that. Was it a lie? She was not sure. Hopelessly confused was what she felt mostly. The silence was becoming stifling and his intense gaze demanded an answer. "I don't know."

"That's a lie," he accused, sitting up and getting off the bed. He ripped open the curtain, staring out of the window without seeing a thing.

Minny got off the bed to go to him. She slid her hands around his waist and pressed her cheek against his back. "I've already destroyed one man because I loved him," she said, thinking of Gin and everything she has put him through. "I won't do it to you."

"Why won't you let me decide to take that risk?" he demanded, the hostility in his voice stabbed her.

"I just won't," she whispered, loosening her grip when she felt him moving. She embraced him again when he was facing her and holding her in his arms.

"Are you really going to marry him?"

"I don't know."

"All right, Minny, here's what I'm going to do," he said, pushing her away from him. "I'm going home. I want you to stay here and enjoy a nice relaxing vacation by yourself. Take the time to think and figure out what the hell you are going to do. Good-bye, honey. No matter what you decide, I love you."

Minny was unable to speak. When he seized her and kissed her, she was left breathless as well. She watched him walk away, helpless to say anything. After flopping down on the bed, she stared at the ceiling wondering what to do. She guessed she would do as he suggested and make a damn decision already. 

* * *

><p>Decision Made: For Better or Worse <p>

"Wow!" Grimmjow gasped, staring at her.

Minny slowly walked down the aisle created by the groups of chairs toward him with her eyes locked on his. She was wearing a plain dress of royal blue silk that trailed along the floor behind her. In her hands was a bouquet of white cala lilies tied with a light blue ribbon.

"You're gorgeous," he whispered, smiling as she blushed.

They were getting married in the opulent lobby of the Shinigami Corporation. They decided this would be the best location since it was work that had brought them together and all of their friends and 'family' worked here. Almost every employee in the building was in attendance of the wedding, most out of plain curiosity. Some were surprised and disappointed she was not marrying his best friend because they had been the hottest gossip going for a while. Instead, her relationship with the Best Man had cooled to nothing more than a flirtatious friendship.

Minny never heard a word the officiant said. Her mind was too busy spinning out of control with all kinds of thoughts. She hoped she was doing the right thing letting her emotions carry her away like this. For once in her life she had made a decision based solely on emotions rather than cold, hard logic. Her fingers shook as she took the thick platinum band from Rukia to slide it on the finger of the man who would be her husband. She held out her hand so he could put hers on. More lovely, syrupy sweet words were spoken to draw the ceremony to a close.

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride," the priest said with a big smile on his face. After a chaste peck on the lips from the wedding couple, the man announced, "I now present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Grimmjow Jaegerjacques."

Minny thought she might faint as the applause and cheers went up from their friends and coworkers with a deafening roar that reverberated on the walls of the expansive lobby. She had done it; she had gotten married. Why did she feel like it was the beginning of the end? 

* * *

><p>"Are you nervous?" Grimmjow asked as they walked into their honeymoon suite<p>

"Yes. Actually, I am," Minny answered. She was indeed extremely anxious and on the verge of being scared out of her wits. She had not had any sexual contact since the night Aizen raped her and tortured her, nearly killing her.

"Minny, I love you," Grimmjow said, staring down at her as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"I love you too," she returned, allowing her eyelids to flutter closed as his arms tightened around her and drew her body to his. Her lips tingled as he brushed over them with his then pressed his mouth to hers for an earnest, sincere kiss. Her body began to shake when she felt his fingers at the zipper of her dress, slowly sliding it down as he tasted her mouth with his tongue. The silk was pushed from her shoulders and slipped soundlessly to the floor in a pile around her feet.

"Holy hell!" he exclaimed, seeing she was totally naked. She had not worn a single thing under the dress.

"I knew you were ready for me," she explained, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "You've been very patient and sweet these longs months so I didn't want to make you wait." Her fingers went to the buttons on his white dress shirt as he bent to kiss her again. She unbuttoned his shirt as he unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. When he was naked, he picked her up and carefully laid her on the bed, lying down next to her.

Minny turned to him, running her hand down his chest and abdomen and lower. A smile curled her lips when she took him in her hand and his eyes rolled back in his head while a low groan escaped him. He moaned loudly as she stroked him. It had been several months since they have had any sexual contact. He had never pushed her or tried to coerce her in any way to have sex with him. She sat up, climbing on top of him.

"Wait! What are you doing?" he asked, when she carefully guided him inside of her after straddling his hips.

"I'm giving you what you need. I want to show you how much I love you. We can waste our time on foreplay another day. I-I j-just…oh, my god," she gasped as she sank down on him inch by inch.

"Are you all right?" he inquired, pushing her hair out of her face when she was sitting on his hips.

"Yeah. I'm all right," she replied. "We will just have to take it slow and easy." She moved her hips, immediately drawing a moan from him. She leaned forward placing her hands on his chest so she could rise up and down on him. His big hands covered her hips and his longs fingers extended over her behind. He moved her carefully so he would not hurt her. He mostly held her down on him, grinding her against him to draw moans of pleasure from her lips.

"Sweetheart, I'm not going to last long," he warned her, moving her up and down slowly.

"Neither am I," she said, taking his hands from her hips and placing them over her breasts. She kept her hands over his as she moved her hips faster. A yelp escaped her when he suddenly bucked up into her, lifting them both off the bed.

"Minny, look at me. Do you love me?" he panted, putting his hands around her waist as he pushed his hips up at her.

Minny opened her eyes to look into his. She threw her head back and cried out as he lifted her off the bed again. Her eyes returned to his, and she felt a tight knot of heat begin to grow in the pit of her stomach. She watched his face contort and twist with pleasure and pain, ecstasy and agony.

"Tell me," he demanded, his voice raspy as he held back a yell of pleasure.

"Yes, yes, I love you," she cried out. Small ripples of pleasure coursed through her body as the tension grew inside of her. Her arousal was heightened by the primal, guttural noises that rolled deep in his throat when he neared an orgasm. She was surprised when her body shuddered and he roared her name, clamping his hands around her hips to hold her down on him as he pumped into her furiously with his climax. This in turn pushed her over the edge which felt like falling into nothing but pure warm light and bliss that turned her body to a writhing mass of oversensitive flesh. He pulled her down to lay on top him, kissing her sweetly before he rolled her over onto the bed beside him. She tucked herself into his arm, pressing her body against his side. She smiled when he kissed her forehead.

"Was it as good as you thought it would be?" Minny asked, laying her hand over his heart to feel it beating against her palm.

"No," Grimmjow answered, pausing long enough to make her stop breathing. "It was better than I ever imagined. I had sex with my wife. I love you."

"I love you too."


	10. Minny's New Boss

Minny's New Boss 

"Who's that?" Toshiro inquired, laughing when Grimmjow and Ichigo jumped as if a cannon had gone off behind them. He had not exactly snuck up on them. They were standing at the main reception desk out front so it was not like they were hiding, but they were obviously spying. He saw that their attention was riveted on a woman with brown hair down to her waist in long flowing waves wearing a short royal blue skirt and a baby blue silk tank top.

"That's my wife, you idiot. She's your best friend! Don't you recognize her?" Grimmjow growled, gritting his teeth as Byakuya Kuchiki's hand rested a little too low on his wife's back for his comfort.

"No! Really?" Toshiro queried in disbelief. Where was the school marm bun? Where were her glasses? And why was her skirt so incredibly high and her shirt so incredibly low? He felt his face grow a little pink with aggravation. He thought of her as his sister and did not like this new sexy look especially with the corporation president's hand so close to her butt. Byakuya Kuchiki was not known to be flirtatious, but he could be a subtle, cunning bastard if he set his mind on something; that's why he was the head of such a successful company after all.

"Did she say why he called her to his office?" Ichigo asked, grunting when Kuchiki's fingers "accidentally" trailed onto her butt when he shifted his hand on the small of her back.

"What the hell is Ishida doing? Why doesn't he just go the hell away?" Grimmjow muttered. "No, she didn't say because she didn't know."

Uryu Ishida, the head of the legal department, stopped to talk to them as soon as they had stepped out of the President's office. This presented Kuchiki with the opportunity to place his hand on her. He was a proper gentleman and when escorting a lady friend they hold her arm or touch the small of her back. So the three jealous men with red faces where wondering what the hell was wrong with her arm and why was he touching her since they weren't actually walking anywhere, but standing still.

"Don't you three have things you need to be doing?" Rukia asked startling them like guilty children caught in the act.

"Of course we do, but we're too curious as to what's up over there. Oh, you've got to be freaking kidding," Ichigo grumbled when he saw Kuchiki's hand slide lower, his fingers now extending over her round behind as his palm rested on the lowest part of her back.

"What the hell is he doing?" Rukia gasped, staring at her brother in disbelief.

They all watched with rapt attention as Minny turned to slowly to face the president, moving a step backward to effectively remove his hand from her butt. Snorts and giggles erupted from the nosey little audience of four as his hand fell from her behind to hang limply at his side and a pink coloration bloomed on his cheeks. They quickly dispersed back to their offices when they saw Minny nod and bow ever so slightly as a parting gesture to both men who had been talking to her. Grimmjow and Ichigo casually walked back to his office so they could talk to her there. The questions began as soon as she entered the room.

"So what was that all about?" Grimmjow inquired, sitting down heavily in his desk chair as Ichigo perched on the edge of the desk.

"I can't be your personal assistant anymore. Mr. Kuchiki said it's a conflict of interest since I'm your wife. He was nice enough to create a position for me," she said with mock enthusiasm.

"Oh? What would that be? A presidential hand warmer?" he asked, him and Ichigo both snorting at his joke.

"Oh, saw that did you? Ha ha it is to laugh," she snapped derisively, glaring at each of them in turn. "I was quite shocked that he would do something like that."

"You have that effect on men," Ichigo said, virtually feeling the scathing look from Grimmjow behind him.

"What? Do I have touch me, kiss me, fuck me, written somewhere?" she inquired, checking her arms and legs as if searching for it.

"Well…," Grimmjow said to be abruptly cut off by his wife.

"Say one more word and you won't touch me, kiss me, or fuck me for at least a week," she snarled. "I'm not happy about this you two, and you're not helping. What did he call it?" she asked herself, tapping her chin as she tried to remember the job title he had created for her. "I am the new Corporate Liaison."

"Sounds dirty. Do we get to watch?" her husband asked, his blue eyes sparkling with amusement. His wife, however, was not amused.

"Grimmjow, I know it's difficult, but don't be a dumbass," Minny snapped.

"Oh, sweetheart, it excites me so much when you talk to me like that. Reminds of the frigid bitch you used to be," he teased, leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head.

"Okay, I'm outta here. I'll find out the details later," Ichigo announced, making a speedy exit.

Minny took a deep breath sitting down on her husband's desk in front of him. "I'm serious, honey, I'm not happy about this. He's basically making me the goodwill hostess to cater to all of the big clients when they come here. Other than that, I'm basically under his thumb. I'm _his_ personal assistant now."

"Wow, must be nice. He gets a whole freaking harem of personal assistants. There's only one I want," he said, placing his hand on her knee and gliding his fingers up her thigh.

"Well, according to the big boss you can't have me anymore. Not in a professional capacity at least." She patted his cheek when he crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her like a pouting child complete with his lips poked out. "Oh, you're cute when you do that," she murmured, tracing his lips with her finger.

"Minny, why are you crying?" Grimmjow asked.

"Damn," she snapped, wiping off the offending wetness with the back of her hand. She had no idea why she was crying. "Just frustrated and upset I guess. I've experienced too many major changes in my life. I'm just tired of it."

"I'm sorry," he apologized although he had done nothing wrong. Some of the changes were good like the their marriage and moving in together. Some were not like her not being able to work with him anymore. He stood up between her legs, pulling her head against his chest. "I love you."

Minny slid her arms around his waist, listening to the beating of his heart as he held her. What had happened to her? She not only loved him, she needed him. An almost irrational fear overtook her with the mere thought of him not being her husband. "By the way, Kuchiki is allowing me to conduct the interviews to hire your new personal assistant. He says I have two weeks to find a suitable replacement. Then I'm his."

"I don't like the sound of that. You'll always be mine. You'll work for him," he corrected her.

"You're right," she sighed, squeezing him as she nuzzled his chest like an affectionate cat.

"Hmmmmmm…I do like that though," he practically purred, turning her chin up with his finger so he could kiss her.

"Hey, here are the – whoa!" Toshiro gasped, stopping dead in his tracks to gape at them.

"Ever heard of knocking?" Grimmjow snarled.

"Ever heard of getting a room?" he sarcastically shot back, glowering at the blunette he still hated probably more now than ever. He turned his attention to Minny and smiled her which brought a growl from the other man.

"Really?" Minny snapped, pushing her jealous husband away. Her life was about to get really difficult, she could tell already.

"Here," Toshiro said, handing her a thick stack of files. "These are resumes of possible candidates. Good luck!"

"Dear god!" she exclaimed, struggling under the weight of the huge pile of paper. She dumped it on her desk, sighing heavily. "Thanks. I think."

"Did you want to go to lunch today?" he asked, totally ignoring her husband whose face was beginning to turn varying shades of red.

"Not today, shorty. She's mine today," Grimmjow snarled. "And every day."

"Another day then," the tenacious white haired man with attitude to spare returned, smiling mirthlessly at him. "If you'll recall, she was mine first."

"Oh, guys come on," she murmured, sitting down at her desk to begin the daunting task of looking over the resumes. "I love you both. Just in different ways. Can't we all just get along?"

"Bye, Minny! See you later, sweetheart," Toshiro called as he walked out of the door.

"Bye, dear. See ya tomorrow at lunch," she yelled back distractedly.

"What the hell was that?" Grimmjow fumed.

"That was me making a lunch date with my _friend_. We've been friends since I started working here. You know that," she said, watching him sit on the corner of his desk to pout again. "Quit acting like a damn woman. " She almost laughed at the shocked expression on his face as he gaped at her.

"A woman huh?" he muttered, moving to her with amazing speed. He turned her chair around, pulling her out of it to sit her on the desk. "I got interrupted earlier. There's something I would like to finish."

Minny sighed when his lips touched hers, and he pushed open her legs to stand between them. This is probably the exact reason the Kuchiki won't allow her to be his personal assistant anymore. She could hear the jingling sound of his belt buckle as he struggled to free himself from the constraint of his pants. She leaned back on her elbows on her desk watching as he deftly pushed aside her underwear instead of taking them off and slid himself into her. He did it so swiftly and easily, she could not help but wonder just how many times he had done this before. No wonder he had gone through so many assistants. Toshiro had told her one quit because she was pregnant. Her mind attempted to wander a little further but was pulled back to the moment at hand as her husband moaned in her ear while he thrust into her. She covered his lips with hers to stifle the noise so no one would hear. Her fingers twisted into his hair, pulling slightly to arouse him further so this would be over with quick. Although they were married, it would still be highly inappropriate to be caught having sex in the office.

"Oh, Minny," he groaned against her lips indicating he was close.

Minny squeezed him hard with her pelvic muscles, covering his mouth with her hand as he moaned loudly. She gripped him with her muscles a few more to times to speed him along toward an orgasm. Her eyes stayed on his face as it twisted and contorted with pleasure.

"Grimmjow, please," she whispered. She relaxed a little allowing him to sink deeply into her and that was all it took to send him into a spastic fit of sexual release. "Feel better?" she inquired when he stopped moving.

"Oh, yes, my love," he sighed contentedly, kissing her on the lips before he moved to pull himself back together. "Don't wear anymore of those short skirts and low cut shirts to the office. Especially when you begin working for him."

"Is that an order, sir?" she asked sarcastically, pulling her skirt down and straightening her shirt.

"Take it as you want it, smart ass," he snapped, slapping her on the behind.

Minny hoped she could find a highly qualified but very ugly assistant for her husband.


	11. Grimmjow's New Assistant

Grimmjow's New Assistant

Minny sat at her desk staring out of the window instead of looking through the resumes. This seemed hopeless. She spent yesterday weeding out the resumes of those who were either not qualified or had a sketchy work history. That was the easy part and eliminated most of the stack. The morning had been spent on the phone calling the ones who seemed to be promising candidates for interviews. Most of those people had jobs or had lost interest in the position. The stack had been cut in half again and not one interview was scheduled. The list of suitable candidates was dwindling way too fast. Had it been this hard for him before he hired her? The last thing she wanted to worry about was doing this all over again in a few weeks. She definitely did not want to have to deal with a sexual harassment lawsuit or worse yet a pregnant assistant. The last thought made her blood boil with jealousy. She groaned when a pair of strong hands dug into the taut muscles of her shoulders.

"That feels so good," she moaned, closing her eyes.

"Keep making noises like that and I'll have to take advantage of that short skirt you're wearing. I can just push it up a little and...," Ichigo whispered in her ear, turning her chair to face him. He squatted down in front of her chair so he would be eye level with her. "Hello, honey. I haven't seen you in a while. You've been too busy for me."

"I know. I've missed you. So why'd you come to see me today?" she asked, standing up and he stood up as well.

"Turn around," he gently ordered, putting his hands back on her neck to massage the tense muscles. "I wanted to take you to lunch."

"Keep doing that and you can take me anywhere," she sighed, closing her eyes as she let her head fall forward.

"Is that a promise?" he asked, pulling her against him.

"Ichigo, stop," she requested, feeling something hard against the small of her back. She knew what it was but tried to ignore it. "I've already promised Toshi I would go to lunch with him today. What about tomorrow?"

"All right. Waiting for you one more day might not kill me. Where's your husband?"

"He had a business lunch with a client. He said he'd be gone most of the afternoon."

"Hmmm…" Ichigo murmured, pushing his thumbs a little too hard into her neck.

"Ow!" Minny exclaimed, shrugging his hands off her neck. "What? What was that noise about?"

"Nothing." He was just about to say something else when Toshiro walked in. "Your date's here."

"Hi, sweetie, you ready to go?" Toshiro inquired happily. She was the only one who could elicit a reaction like that from him. His mouth immediately dropped into a frown and his eyebrows drew together as he looked at Ichigo. "What's up, Carrot Top?"

"A whole lot above five and a half feet, Snowman," he rudely replied, walking past the now angry man.

"Come on, Toshi. Let's go," she said, grabbing his hand to pull him from the office before he glared hole in their coworker. "I need your help. I need you to do something for me."

"Sure. What do you need?" he asked, pressing the button for the elevator.

"I need some new prospects. There's actually something, someone specific I'm looking for. Could you do a little head hunting for me? You've got some great connections."

"Yeah, I can do that. As a matter of fact, I think I have the perfect person for you." 

* * *

><p>"Your new assistant starts today," Minny announced as they stepped out of the elevator on Monday morning.<p>

"You could have told me earlier, you know. We are under the same roof now," Grimmjow growled. He was not in a good mood this morning. He was steadily getting grumpier as the time neared for her to switch to being Kuchiki's personal assistant.

"I could have, but I wanted it to be a surprise," she said, smiling sensually at him in an attempt to soothe his frazzled nerves. "I found you a gorgeous blond with brown eyes."

"Oh?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow as he looked at her.

"Yeah. I think you'll be pleased. I was happy with the qualifications. There is also a brain along with the pretty face. There's nothing a hate worse than pretty packaging on an empty container," she snorted derisively, walking into the office as he held the door open for her.

"Mrs. Jaegerjacques?" one of the front desk receptionists called over the intercom. "The new assistant is here."

"I'll be right there," she answered the receptionist. She kissed her husband briefly on the lips, winking at him as she walked toward the door.

"What's the name?" he asked before she walked out.

"Tesra Lindocruz," she replied over her shoulder as she disappeared out the door.

"Tesra? That's a pretty name," he said to himself, turning his chair with his back toward the door. He was mulling over the whole blond thing with a licentious smile on his face when his wife reentered the office.

"Mr. Jaegerjacques, this is your new personal assistant, Tesra Lindocruz," she announced, waiting for him to turn around. She bit her lip to stifle a laugh as her husband's jaw flew open in shock.

The new assistant was indeed a blond – a blond MAN! Minny did not lie when she said he was gorgeous either. He was a little less than six feet tall and very thin with a narrow face and soft feminine facial features. He even had a name that could be mistaken for a woman's name.

"I'll be damned," Grimmjow muttered under his breath. His wife was smart and downright deceptive. He had drastically underestimated her resourcefulness on this one. The most he had hoped for was another ugly duckling like she had been. Of course she had never been ugly, just buttoned up too tight. He had fully expected a qualified but troll like woman to be his new assistant. A man was a total shock and something he never saw coming.

"I'll spend the next week getting him familiar with everything so he can pick up where I left off," she told her husband before turning to the blond man at her side. "If you ever have any questions, you can always come find me and ask. I'll help you with anything."

Grimmjow watched the man's eyes light up when she said 'I'll help you with anything.' He knew what the man was thinking because he had thought it too. His observation continued as the blond man's eyes slid down Minny's body then moved back up to settle on the cleavage displayed nicely beneath his nose as she stood next to him. Although Lindocruz looked distinctly feminine, he definitely liked women because he was enjoying the view in front of him a little too much. 'I told her to quit wearing that damn low cut stuff to the office,' Grimmjow stewed silently, tearing the piece of paper in his hands to shreds.

"Mr. Jaegerjacques?" Minny called to get his attention. "You just shredded a check from your client."

"Damn!" he yelled, slamming his hands down on the desk.

Minny looked at Tesra who was not bothered at all by the outburst which was good because there would be plenty of them. She watched as he calmly walked over to the desk that would soon be his. He picked up the phone then turned to his new boss.

"Give me the client's number, sir. I'll call and have a replacement check sent. I'll say there was an accident with a shredder," he informed his new boss, taking the piece of paper with the phone number that Grimmjow handed him.

Minny smiled triumphantly, shrugging as Grimmjow gaped at her. She had not only found a good assistant to replace herself; she had found a great one. She would have to figure out a special way to thank Toshiro for sending this guy her way. 

* * *

><p>"You're going out to lunch with him again?" Grimmjow asked, baring his teeth to show his aggravation.<p>

"What's wrong with you? Quit acting like some kind of animal," she snapped, pushing him back from her.

"That's not what you said last night," he shot back, smiling lecherously as he thought back to last night. He could not recall her making sounds like that ever before.

"I could barely breathe last night after some of the things you did to me, but that's not the point!" she exclaimed. She moved close, pressing her breasts against him. "I like him, but I love you. I'm married to you, bonehead, so stop with the jealousy thing."

"This from the woman who hired a male assistant for me to keep me from messing around," he grumbled, sliding his arms around her waist.

"You got that right. He is cute. Good thing he's not my assistant," she teased, sliding her arms around his neck.

"You know another man couldn't do to you the things I do. Make you feel the way I do," he murmured in a low, sexy voice before kissing her briefly on the lips.

"Yeah, I know," she whispered, pulling his head back down to hers. She pressed her lips against his for a longer, harder kiss. The door to the office opened behind them just as his tongue slid into her mouth, causing her to accidentally bite it.

"Ow!" he yelled, shoving her backwards in a reflexive reaction to the pain.

Minny felt herself falling but a pair of arms slipped under hers before she hit the ground. She looked up into a set of familiar and lovely teal colored eyes.

"Hi, sweetie," Toshiro purred, smiling down at her.

"Hey! Midget man, what the hell!" Grimmjow yelled. It was then the other two noticed what he had seen: Toshiro's hands were clamped firmly over her breasts as he held her in mid-fall.

Minny squealed when he dropped her unceremoniously on her butt. "Thanks," she snapped, rubbing her behind while her husband roared with laughter. She slapped away the very embarrassed Toshiro's hands when he reached down to help her.

"Oh, my god! I do believe I've finally found a reason to like you, Hitsugaya," Grimmjow announced, still chuckling slightly.

"And I'm supposed to care because…?," Toshiro asked waiting for the blue haired asshole to fill in the blank.

"Hmmmmmm, damn! It's gone. Never mind. Have fun with my wife," he called after them when they walked out of the office together.

"I always do," his white haired nemesis called back.

"WHAT?" The howl from the blue hair followed them down the hall, but they did not stop.

"Hey, thanks for sending Tesra Lindocruz to me. I've tried him, and he's wonderful," Minny said happily.

"Good grief, Minny. You really should think sometimes before you speak," Toshiro warned her. He hated the way she had phrased that statement, but he did grasp her true meaning behind it.

When the elevator doors closed behind them, she put her arms around him and pulled him close to her. "So what can I do to thank you?" she asked, her lips grazing his as she spoke.

"Quit being such a damn tease. Besides, I know you too well for these games," he responded with an emotionless, almost bored tone to his voice.

"Payback for dropping me on my ass," she said, letting her arms fall to her sides. "But seriously, I would like to do something to thank you."

"Well, when I think of something, I'll be sure to let you know."


	12. The First Storm

The First Storm 

"Good morning, my dear," Mr. Kuchiki greeted her warmly as she walked into his office.

"Good morning, sir," Minny replied, bowing slightly. He was indeed royalty here. Toshiro had teased her that if Kuchiki was the king, she was the new queen.

"I trust Miss Matsumoto gave you a copy of the day's schedule," he said, indicating that she sit in the chair in front of his desk. He sat down after she was seated.

Toshiro had decided on his favor and had asked that Minny make Rangiku Mastsumoto her assistant. Why shouldn't the Corporate Liaison have an assistant? It sounds like an important job and all important people needed assistants. She had giggled at his impassioned argument as he made his one request. She liked Rangiku anyway and was afraid the short and even shorter tempered man would fire the woman because she had been annoying him so much lately. Minny believed it was because the busty blond had a crush on the man that she was so bothersome. She refrained from telling him so due to the fact he might kill her in her sleep for such an accusation.

"I'm ready for the staff meeting, sir. When we get back I'll go over the information for the business meeting you have scheduled this afternoon," she informed him stiffly.

"Minny, calm down. I hired you because you're a very professional assistant and you are great at what you do. You do not have to be nervous around me," he assured her, rising from his chair which caused her stand up quickly in response. "When we go somewhere, I want you to walk in front of me or beside me. You are not my servant. Besides, if I walk behind you, I get to see your ass."

Minny laughed loudly at the shocking statement that she was hardly able to believe came from his mouth. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand in an attempt to stop the laughing. She had the distinct privilege of getting to see something no one ever got to see: a smile on his face. Was he actually joking around with her? Maybe he was not the man everyone thought he was, and no one had the guts to get past the scary emotionless exterior.

"Seriously, walk in front of me. I hate that subservient crap," he said, opening the door and pushing her out.

Everyone gaped as they walked by because he was still wearing the smile on his face. Minny had to resist the urge to laugh again because of all the open mouthed stares. Hushed whispers started after they passed by. She waited for him to open the door of the meeting room for her, sweeping in as if she truly were the queen.

"Damn, not even a full day in, and she's already a snob," her husband growled as she walked to the opposite end of the table without even glancing at him.

Every person in the room leaned forward as Minny stood by her chair waiting. She was waiting for her boss to come pull it out for her.

"Are you serious?" Grimmjow murmured, receiving an elbow from Tesra. "She taught you to do that, didn't she?" His voice carried throughout the entire room because it was completely silent.

Kuchiki dutifully pulled out her chair, then slid it back in after she sat down. Toshiro had been right; she had become the queen and was playing the part. Slack jawed, wide eyed executives stared at the President of the company as he stood at the head of the table with a slight grin on his face before calling the meeting to order.

Grimmjow could hardly wait to get his hands on his wife. He wanted to know what that little grin on the President's face was all about. Byakuya Kuchiki was the master of the unsmile. People had been convinced he never smiled because he was incapable of it. If his wife gave that man a certain reason to smile… 

* * *

><p>"Minny, this is Coyote Starrk," Mr. Kuchiki announced as the man walked into his office.<p>

Minny stood up, offering a perfunctory smile and her hand for a handshake. She could hardly believe this man was an executive. He had long, messy dark brown hair and sleepy looking bluish gray eyes. He looked like a surfer someone woke up on the beach and dressed in a rumpled business suit.

"He's the vice president of Espada Hospitality Industries," her boss went on.

Since her back was turned to him, he was unaware of the sickening white color her face had turned. She regretted terribly not reading that information she had been given. This man was vice president of her dead brother's company. The brother she murdered. She knew Gin Ichimaru was the President because she had turned the company and all of the assets over to him after her brother's death. She wanted to leave the memory of her brother completely behind, but it just would not die along with him. Her contact with Gin, however, had ended that night. Their enemy was gone so it was time to move on with their lives. It was ironic how sometimes life moved in circles.

"Sir, I'm sorry. I feel very ill suddenly," she murmured, holding her hand over her mouth. She was not lying about feeling ill. Nausea had overwhelmed her, and she was about to vomit from the sudden rush of emotions after being assaulted with the memory of killing Sosuke Aizen.

"Go then, dear," he said, his eyebrows drawing together when he saw her white face. He looked at Starrk and offered an apology. "Must have been something she ate at lunch," she heard Kuchiki explain as she hastily made her exit.

"Minny? Minny! What's wrong?" Rangiku asked as her boss ran by. She followed her to the restroom when Minny would not answer. She grabbed several paper towels and wet them down with cold water to hold against the back of Minny's neck as she vomited profusely. "What is it? Are you all right?"

"I guess something didn't set well with me at lunch," she lied, wiping the tears from her face. "Thank you."

"Are you going to be sick again?" she asked as she watched her new boss's body convulse.

"No. I don't think there is anything left. Can you give me a minute? Can you get me a ginger ale and have it ready for me when I go back to Mr. Kuchiki's office?" She had to get calmed down so she could continue the business meeting. Time to call on every ounce of professionalism she possessed.

"Of course, ma'am," her assistant replied, studying her with a worried expression.

"Thank you. I'll be back soon," Minny assured her, standing up a bit unsteadily even with Rangiku's help. She walked to the sink, washing off her face as her assistant walked out. So much for her make up. Oh well, the show must go on. She hurried back to the office, grabbing the soda from her assistant's desk as she went by.

"Feeling better?" Kuchiki asked when she walked back in, both men rising out of their chairs to greet her.

"Yes, sir. I apologize," she said, taking a seat between the two men.

"Mr. Ichimaru will be here on Friday. He had urgent business elsewhere that he had to attend to so he sent me in his place until then," Starrk explained, looking at Kuchiki as he spoke. He turned his attention to Minny, telling her, "You can call me, Coyote, by the way."

"Certainly, sir. You can call me, Minny," she responded, swallowing a huge gulp of her drink.

"Can I call you any time I want to?" he inquired, taking her hand in his.

'Oh, seriously? Is this guy for real?' she wondered, gaping at him. She had just fled the room and thrown up and now he was hitting on her. Minny's eyes quickly swung to her boss who only raised an eyebrow and shrugged slightly. He was no help whatsoever; this was what he had warned her about. He had told her some of these businessmen would be very 'hands on' and he meant it. She laid her left hand over Starrk's so he could see her wedding rings. "You can, but you'll have to talk to my husband first."

"I see. Is he an open minded man?"

Damn! This guy was relentless. How appropriate that he worked in the hotel industry. She supposed he thought it was his duty to be a bed tester as well. "He doesn't like to share," she responded, extracting her hand from his.

"Oh, that's a shame," he said, giving her a salacious smile with mock disappointment in his voice.

Yuck! This man disgusted her more than Grimmjow had when she first met him. Minny took another huge sip of her drink. She had four days to prepare for the arrival of Gin. She had not seen him or even spoken to him in nearly a year. It was going to be a long week. 

* * *

><p>"I need you with me tonight," Minny whined, holding onto his shirt. She knew she was carrying on like a whiney three year old, but she did not care. She did need her husband with her; his damn client could be taken out to dinner another night.<p>

"Sweetheart, I know you had a rough day. I'm really sorry about that, but I've got to go. Now, please, let me go," he muttered, pushing her away.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked, watching him as he pulled on his jacket with an expression on his face that was a mixture of agitation and disgust.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Minny?" he yelled back. "When did you become so, so...NEEDY?"

"Why are you treating me like this?" she inquired, backing away from him as he glared at her. "I have never asked you to do anything like this before. Please, there's something I need to tell you. It's important."

"It will have to wait," he hatefully responded, quickly changing subjects. "What was that all about at the staff meeting this morning? What the hell did you do to put a smile on that man's face? I don't like you working for Kuchiki. Look, I don't have time to discuss this right now. I've got to go," he said, clearly irritated as he grabbed his keys and headed for the door.

"It's not like you didn't know this was coming. You had two damn weeks to say something. Why didn't you?" she demanded, following him to the door. "I didn't do anything but laugh at something he said. I certainly didn't do what you're thinking to make him smile."

"I don't want to do this right now," he growled, opening the front door of his apartment.

Minny had moved in with him after they were married, but she still had her apartment and all of her furniture in it since her lease still had six months left. She had moved only half of her clothes. They had been married for less than a month and a storm was brewing in paradise – big time. She was glad she had not given up her apartment yet. "Do you think we made a mistake? Do you regret marrying me?"

"I-I don't know, Minny. I'm leaving," he announced, slamming the door soundly behind him. That damn man had a thing for slamming doors.

Minny went to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine. She sat down at the desk in the study to read over the business proposal between Espada Hospitality and Shinigami Corporation. She read until her eyes began to hurt, and she could not concentrate on the words anymore. It was ten o' clock so she decided to call her husband who should be on his way home.

"Hello!" a female screeched into the phone.

"I'm sorry. I must have a wrong number," Minny said. She was about to hang up when she heard her husband's voice in the background.

"It's some woman," she heard the woman yell back at him.

"Some woman?" she heard him say. "Some woman! Give me that! Why did you answer my phone you idiot?" he yelled at the woman.

Minny hung up when he bellowed a panicked hello into the phone. Tears burned her eyes. Unbelievable. No wonder he was in such a hurry to leave and did not want to stay with her. She hit the ignore button when her phone began to ring. Before he could call again, she dialed Toshiro.

"What's wrong? Why are you calling me so late?" he inquired trying to keep the irritation out of his voice.

"I need to see you. Can I come over?" she asked her voice quavering so badly she could hardly talk.

"You're very upset. It wouldn't be a good idea. You know what kinds of accidents happen at times like these." He refused to be responsible for breaking up their marriage. He also did not want to lose a wonderful friend from a stupid mistake made during an overly emotional moment.

"I don't care. I need you. Toshi, he was with another woman."

"Why didn't you call Prince Charming?" he queried, aggravation tainting his voice with the reference to Ichigo Kurosaki.

"Because I need to be with someone I trust right now," she replied, sniffing back tears. "I can call him if I'm bothering you."

"NO! I'll send a cab for you," he said, hanging up quickly.

As soon as the call from him completely disconnected, her phone was ringing. 'My husband' showed up on the caller id. Minny pressed ignore. A few seconds later the phone was ringing again. She turned it completely off and threw it against the wall. It made a dent in the wall and shattered into a thousand pieces on contact. She hurriedly dressed in a jeans and a tank top, not bothering with a bra, but she did grab a jacket to pull on as she exited the apartment. A few minutes later, she was in a cab on her way to Toshiro's house. He was waiting for her on his front doorstep when the taxi pulled into his semicircle driveway.

"I hope we don't do something you'll regret," Toshiro said, pulling her into his arms.

"Who says I'll regret it?" Minny asked, covering his mouth with hers in a desperate, hard kiss driven by her emotional pain.

"Slow down, sweetheart. Just calm down," he whispered, against her lips as he struggled to breath. This was exactly what he was talking about. The moment he'd fantasized about a thousand times had come, yet he could not let it happen – not like this. He did not want her to wake up in the morning and hate him. He opened the front door and took her into the house. After sitting her down on the couch, he encouraged her to tell him what happened. He listened patiently through her tears as she told him about the woman answering Grimmjow's phone and worked backwards to the argument.

"Minny, you can stay here tonight, but I will not have sex with you. I love you too much to let a desperate stupid act committed when you're so emotionally vulnerable ruin our relationship," he said bluntly.

"Thank you. That's why I wanted to come to you. I not only trust you with my secrets but with me," she said softly, hugging him tightly.

"Don't think any more about the issue with your husband. I'm hoping it's a huge misunderstanding. If not, his life will become a living hell. Just wait until Carrot Top hears about this," he muttered with a devilish glint in his eye.

"You wouldn't!" Minny exclaimed, gaping at him.

"Oh, you better believe I would. Although Kurosaki's an idiot and I don't care too much for him, loving and protecting you is the one thing we have in common," he chuckled lightly. "If that dipshit husband of yours has lost his mind, we'll take care of you, sweetheart."

And him.


	13. The Second Storm

The Second Storm 

Grimmjow walked into the office late. He had not slept at all because he had returned home to an empty apartment and found her demolished cell phone in the study. He had an idea of where she had spent the night and the thought of that white haired troll with his hands on her was more than he could stand. He glanced toward Kuchiki's office and immediately nixed the idea of seeing if she was there because the mountain of a man and head of security Kenpachi Zaraki was parked in front of the door. The man had to be at least seven feet fall and had a face as hard and flinty as the side of a cliff. He was actually wider than the door frame he stood in front of.

Grimmjow knew he could not take the man on a good day much less how he was feeling now so he turned to go to his office. He opened the door to see his wife sitting on the edge of his desk. Tesra was busy in the corner at his desk typing on the computer. The little shit could have called him and warned him. As an administrative assistant he's supposed to assist and a little warning sure would have been helpful. Damn! He noticed she was back to being the frigid bitch he first met. She was dressed in a knee length skirt the same shade of blue as his eyes with a white frilly shirt that buttoned all the way to top of her neck with tiny pearl buttons. Her hair was tightly twisted into a matronly bun, and she was wearing her blue framed glasses. He thought she was the sexiest damn thing he had ever seen even dressed like that – maybe even especially like that.

"Tesra, you might not want to be a witness to this," she warned, waiting for him to leave.

"Yes, ma'am," he dutifully responded and moved swiftly to the door.

"You have five minutes. Use them wisely," she coldly advised her husband.

"The client had never been to a hostess club so I took him. That was a hostess that answered the phone," he explained, standing in front her with his hands in his pockets.

"Okay. So a woman you were paying to drink and flirt with you answered your phone. That's supposed to make me feel better?" she asked incredulously, glaring up at him with her hands on her hips.

"But I had to be with that girl for the client," he argued, staring at the floor to avoid her eyes. It even sounded stupid to him when it was said out loud.

"Oh, yes, sweetheart. You poor thing. It must have been terrible for you to have some pretty little drunk thing wriggling around on your lap. Oh, but it was a sacrifice you were willing to make," she cooed with mock sympathy, moving away from him when he tried to touch her.

"Like I wanted to be at home with you? You were a pathetic, crying mess," he snapped.

"I was upset! You knew I had a bad day, but you didn't bother to ask why. I needed you! Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to allow myself to need anyone?" she inquired, grabbing his arm. "And you weren't there for me. You walked – no, you RAN away from me."

"Stop it. At least I'm not screwing the boss," he accused, jerking out of her grip.

"That makes two of us, dumbass. Besides, when I did screw my boss, look where it got me," she snarled. A cry was wrenched from her throat when the back of his hand came across her cheek with startling speed. It seemed to shock him as much as it did her. She stumbled backwards catching herself on the desk before she fell.

"Minny, I'm sorry!" he exclaimed, lunging forward take her into his arms.

"No, please, don't bother," she said, holding her hand up to stop him. "You made a mistake and will never do it again. I get it. Speaking of mistakes, I guess we both forgot that along with every wedding comes a marriage. I suppose we both made that mistake."

"No, honey, please," he begged, grabbing her hand when she walked past him.

"It's all right. We had fun while it lasted, but now it's over." She gently pulled her hand out of his grip. Her cheek was beginning to throb, and she wanted to get away from him.

"Why are you giving up so easily? Why won't you let me explain?" He stood behind her with his palm flat on the door holding it closed so she could not leave.

"I gave you the chance to explain, and it seemed like you did. You made two critical mistakes. You accused me of something you know damn well I didn't do. I love you and only you. The second was hitting me. I decided a long time ago no man will ever hit me again. Just be glad I'm letting you live," she murmured, her voice low and menacing. "What am I supposed to do? Just wait around for it to happen again? Three times? Four? How many times is enough for you to hit me? When is it appropriate to leave?"

"Who abused you? Would you really kill me? What haven't you told me?" he demanded, slamming the door closed when she opened it.

"You should have stayed home last night. I wanted to talk to you about it. That was one of the reasons I was so upset. I would have told you everything then," she muttered, turning her eyes blazing with fury on him.

"So is this it? Will I be receiving divorce papers?" he asked, removing his hand from the door. "I can't believe you are letting go so easily."

"I decided a long time ago it is best to not hang on to something that does not want to be held. It's cruel to hold someone prisoner for love. I will be going back to my apartment. Just pack up my things and send them over by a messenger. Keep an eye on your mailbox," she advised, letting him know that he would indeed be getting divorce papers.

"I'm sorry about this. I do still love you," he said, opening the door for her.

Minny refused to say anything in return. She took a deep breath and walked out, holding her head high as she walked straight toward Byakuya Kuchiki's office. She smiled weakly at Kenpachi as he stepped aside to allow her into the office.

"Mrs. Jaggerjacques, are you all right?" he inquired, his voice like deep rumbling thunder.

"Yes, Kenny. I'm fine," she replied.

"Would you like for me to kick his ass, ma'am?" he inquired with a deadpan sincerity that made her want to laugh.

"No, not today."

"Any day is fine with me, ma'am. Just let me know when you're ready."

Minny walked into the office, ignoring the startled expression on Kuchiki's face. It was her turn to be shocked when she found herself in his arms with his fingers on her cheek. She took a deep calming breath to steady her nerves when she realized he was only studying the red mark on her cheek that Grimmjow had left. "I'm all right," she assured him before he could even ask.

"You can go home for today if you need to. I'm sure Miss Matsumoto could handle this from the extensive notes you've made," he said, moving back from her when he realized just how close he was.

"I'm all right. Can I have a few days off when the deal is done?" she inquired hopefully.

"Yes, definitely. Oh, by the way, could you pick up Ichimaru from the airport Thursday night?"

"Why me?"

"He's coming in on a midnight flight. And because he asked for you personally."

'Dammit, Gin,' she thought silently, keeping her eyes leveled on her boss's face. Will the pain ever stop coming this week? 

* * *

><p>Minny waited until the last second to leave her apartment to make her trip to the airport. She was hoping she could pull up, retrieve him, and be on her way. As soon as she dumped him at his hotel, she could rush back home to her nice warm bed. Alone. Dammit! Why did Grimmjow have to turn out to be an asshole after all? It was her own stupid fault for allowing her emotions to get in the way. She pulled into the lane at the airport specifically for people picking up incoming passengers. There he was; it was hard to mistake that silver hair and scarecrow like body of his. Although he wasn't the classical definition of handsome, he was very attractive and definitely eye catching. She loved his enchanting sky blue eyes when she got to see them. They were always narrowed to slits because of that irritating fox face he always made. Whoever said, "Smile because it makes them wonder what you're thinking" must have known this man.<p>

"Hello, sweetheart. It's been a long time," he said when he opened the door, grinning at her slyly as always.

Minny sighed loudly. As usual, she could not tell what he was thinking. She did not know if he was angry or hated her or how he felt about anything. Without a word, she popped the trunk, not bothering to get out of the car while he stowed his suitcase.

"Still quite the Princess I see," he remarked as he slid into the leather passenger's seat of the luxury sedan.

"Actually, I've become Queen since you were gone," she retorted, stomping on the gas pedal so hard forced him against the seat.

"It's been a long time, Minny. I've missed you. I see you haven't been lonely," he commented, referring to her wedding rings.

"Oh, that," she snorted, snatching the rings off of her finger and throwing them somewhere behind her in the car.

"I'm sorry."

"Me too."

"Will you take me home with you?" he inquired with a cocky attitude.

Minny slammed on the brakes, receiving a loud horn blast from the car behind her. "Are you serious?" she demanded, turning to stare at him.

"Quite. It's been a long time," he answered, giving her a quick kiss on the lips.

"No. You're going straight to your hotel. I'm already in enough trouble as it is relationship wise. I don't need any more complications or casualties in that area," she muttered, continuing on their journey to his hotel. She had to get rid of him as soon as possible before she did something epically stupid. He was even more temptation than Ichigo.

"I'm going to sign the deal because of you. Whatever your stipulations are, I don't care. I just want you back in my life in some small way. It will give me a reason to have contact with you. I know that seems pathetic to you, but I can't help it," he said, placing his hand over hers that rested on the gear shift.

"No, it doesn't. For the first time in my life I know how badly it hurts when you love someone, and they just shove you away. I'm sorry, Gin. I wish there was more that I could say," she murmured, guilt flooding her.

"You always told me what a fool I was for loving you, but I did it anyway," he said, squeezing her hand and releasing it. "I have no one to blame but myself."

Minny became lost in her own thoughts. She wondered if she should have just told Grimmjow her deepest secrets. The man sitting next to her knew absolutely everything about her and loved her hopelessly and fiercely anyway. Somehow she knew her husband would not be as nearly as forgiving or willing to overlook certain details. 'Yes, dear, I killed a man. But he deserved it. Yeah, that would go over great,' she thought to herself. She was especially sure the disgusting details of the forced incestuous relationship with her brother would make him loathe her. There was no way she could tell him. Some things were just never meant to be spoken. If she lost him, so be it. That would just have to be the way things are because she could never, ever tell those secrets to anyone else.


	14. Questions and Answers

Questions and Answers

Minny arrived at work a few hours later feeling exhausted and on edge. She had returned home after dropping off Gin, falling asleep relatively easily only to be bombarded with nightmares. The nightmare of her brother being alive and trying to kill her, again, was especially real and incredibly terrifying. She woke up screaming from that one. Someone was calling her name as she was walking toward her office, but she ignored it because that someone was her husband.

"Minny!" Grimmjow's voice echoed across the building.

"Oh, god," she moaned, stopping in her tracks without turning around. Her eyes widened when she saw Kenpachi moving her way at a speed shocking for his size. She was a little disturbed at the malevolent grin he wore on his face as if he were looking forward to the impending confrontation with her husband.

"Can I please just talk to my wife for a minute?" he asked the human wall that stood between them.

"Do you want to talk to him, ma'am?" Kenpachi asked without turning his head to look at her. He wanted to keep his eye on the blue haired man. Literally eye, since he wore an eye patch over one. This man couldn't possibly be more frightening and intimidating.

"Sure, just stand behind me," she said and he dutifully moved to stand behind her. She had never felt so small in her entire life, however, she definitely felt protected. Her eyes looked up into a sad pair of sky blue eyes. "Yes. What is it?"

"Here," he said, shoving a vase of blue roses in her face. He was acting like a nervous teenage boy about to ask a girl out for a first date. "Can I take you to dinner tonight?"

"Sorry. I have a business meeting tonight. I'm thinking I'll be taking them to a hostess club since that seems to be a favorite among clients," she retorted hatefully, turning to leave without taking the flowers.

"What about tomorrow night?" he yelled after her. "Saturday night?" he asked as she got further away.

Minny smiled to herself, continuing to walk away. She heard footsteps behind her then a strangled sound like a cat being squeezed. She turned to see Kenpachi's hand firmly wrapped around Grimmjow's neck and his feet dangling in midair as the huge man held him up. She bit her lower lip to resist the urge to laugh as he held out the roses to her.

"You forgot these," he wheezed.

"Kenny, put that down. You don't know where it's been," she muttered icily. She took the vase from her husband before he dropped it. She watched as he was dropped onto his feet, swayed unsteadily, then leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees to take several huge gulps of air. "What time Saturday night?" 

* * *

><p>This was going to be an interesting experience for everyone involved. Whether it would be good or bad was anyone's guess. Minny walked into the front door of the hostess club behind Kuchiki, Starrk, and Ichimaru. The girl at the front counter was unable to hide her surprised and pleased expression when she saw the three handsome men. Her expression quickly turned to disdain when Minny stepped out from between them.<p>

"I have the presidents from Shinigami Corporation and Espada Hospitality with me. Can you provide us with a private room and your three most gorgeous and polite ladies?" she inquired.

"Of course ma'am. Are you sure you won't need four escorts tonight?" she blond girl asked with a snotty tone of superiority.

Minny stepped around the small podium to get very close to the girl. She cupped the girl's face with one of her hands, bringing her lips very close to the other girl's. She tucked a fifty dollar bill in the blond's generous cleavage. "If I did need a woman tonight, I doubt any of your employees could meet my standards. Now, go!" she ordered, glaring at the bitchy blond as she hurried away. She turned to be greeted with three gaping faces. "Yes?" she demanded, giving each one a withering glance. The three shocked men cleared their throats in embarrassment, hastily gathering their wits before the girl returned.

"Right this way, ma'am," the girl announced with a much warmer and friendlier tone. She led them to a small private room with four black leather couches arranged in a square around a table that was covered with various types of alcohol and glasses. Three pretty girls were already sitting in the room, one on each couch except the fourth which Minny claimed for herself.

"Are you really okay with this? You don't have to be here. I can take you home," Mr. Kuchiki offered as he sat down. He seemed very uncomfortable and searching for an excuse to leave.

"Sir, are you all right?" she asked.

"Of course," he replied, a pink color creeping up his neck as he pulled at his collar.

Minny felt a little guilty dragging her boss through this. She knew this was not something he would enjoy and could barely tolerate. The other two, however, seemed satisfied and happy with their present situation. She actually had ulterior motives for being here. She hoped her memory for voices was good because she would be trying to find a specific one tonight. The woman who belonged to that voice would have some questions to answer. She poured herself a glass of champagne as the three giggling women served the men. After listening to their pointless flirting for a while, she excused herself.

"Hey, Blondie!" Minny yelled at the girl at the podium up front.

"Yes, ma'am, how can I help you?' the girl asked with a plastic smile.

"Wow! Throw a little money your way and it changes your attitude tremendously. Here," Minny said, handing the girl another fifty dollar bill. "Do you remember a good looking blue haired man that came in here a few nights ago? I'm sure he asked for a private room because he had business clients."

"Oh, yeah," she almost moaned, a dreamy smile on her face.

"Wonderful. I have another fifty bucks for you if you can show me the girl he was with," she offered. The mention of more money caught the girl's attention immediately and the smile disappeared from her face. Blondie was suddenly all business and a woman on a mission.

"Right this, my Queen," Blondie said, grabbing Minny's hand. She led her to the back corner of the main room where a woman with long black hair was rising from her knees from between the legs of a drunken, sweating businessman. Just what the hell had this woman been doing to this man? The answer was obvious and nauseating to think about.

"Don't forget my tip at the end of the evening, Leila. I'm sure you don't want word of this getting to the manager," threatened Blondie as Minny gave her the money. The blond extortionist was cleaning house tonight. "Someone wants to talk to you."

Nausea swept over Minny as the raven haired woman turned to face her while wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Her face twisted into an expression of revulsion making the lewd woman smile licentiously. She held her breath as the woman walked toward her, standing so close that their breasts touched.

"You're a pretty little thing," the woman commented, pulling off Minny's glasses to get a better look at her brown eyes.

"I need to ask you a few questions about a man," Minny said, snatching her glasses from the woman's hand. Her body felt like one huge raw nerve. She wanted to get away from this woman as soon as possible.

"Oh, damn," she sighed with disappointment, backing away. "I would have had a lot of fun with you."

"What can you tell me about a customer you had that was tall, very handsome, blue hair?" she asked, watching the disappointed expression turn to anger on the woman's face.

"Oh, him," she snorted. "If he hadn't talked about his damn wife all night long I would have sworn he was gay. He wouldn't touch me at all. He kept shoving me away from him no matter what I did. It was a real blow to my self-esteem, I tell ya."

"Really? He didn't lay a hand on you?" Minny inquired, the sick feeling dissipating.

"No – not once. How could he resist this? I mean, HELLO!" the woman exclaimed, waving her hand over body as if she were the prize on a game show.

There it was! That's the voice Minny had heard on the phone. "You've told me what I needed to know. Thank you," she said, walking away from the woman. She had received the answers to her questions so she was ready to go. She needed time to think and figure this out. "Mr. Kuchiki, I'm not feeling very well. I need to go home," she announced when she walked back into the private room.

"Of course, dear, I'll be more than happy to take you home," Mr. Kuchiki rejoined, nodding to the girl sitting next to him with the bored expression on her face. "I'm sorry gentlemen, but I must take care of my assistant. You are more than welcome to continue your evening here. We will see you at the office tomorrow to finalize the paperwork. Enjoy!" He grabbed Minny by the arm, rushing her back through the door. "Oh, you are a lifesaver. You can have a week off with pay for this one," he whispered, hustling her out of the club with him.

"Mr. Kuchiki, are you all right?" she asked, when they practically ran out of the front door.

"Yes, I just hate places like that. Those women disgust me," he muttered, pulling off his jacket. He pulled the band out of his long hair, running his hand through it. He always kept his long hair neatly pulled back at the office.

Minny bit her lip as the wind caught his silky looking black hair and blew it around his face. She had never noticed just how handsome he was with his dark gray eyes and sharp aristocratic features. She ignored him for the most part, deeming him a snob and not worth her time since he seemed to view most people as beneath him. "Sir, are you gay?" she asked bluntly, watching his eyes grow huge.

"What did you just ask me?" he queried in disbelief, running his hand through his hair again.

"Are you –"

"I actually heard you, I was just shocked. You never cease to amaze me with your frankness. To answer your question, no I am not. I had a wife, but she died several years ago. I know I will never find another love like that so I haven't even tried," he explained, keeping his tranquil gaze leveled on her the whole time.

"I'm sorry, sir. I apologize for being nosey. It's one of my worst habits," she stated, bowing her head slightly as profound embarrassment burned her cheeks.

"It is one of the endearing things I like about you. I prefer to call it an insatiable curiosity," he said, smiling at her.

"Sir – "

"Would you stop that please? Call me Byakuya since we are not at work," he encouraged her.

They strolled to his car in a comfortable silence, each of them deep in thought. She waited patiently as he opened the door to his car for her.

"What did you find out about your husband?" he asked, holding her gaze when her wide eyes met his. "I am not as oblivious or self-important as I act. So tell me."

"He didn't do anything. But why didn't he just tell me that? Wouldn't have been easier for him to just admit nothing happened?"

"Would you have believed him?"

"I-I don't know," she stammered, staring at the ground.

"Minny, now it is my turn to be nosey. I am going to ask you a very blunt question and you can answer me truthfully because it is just between us." He waited for her to return his intent gaze. "Do you really want to be married to him? Were you looking for an excuse to end it? Are you afraid?"

"That's more than one question, sir."

"I know, smartass!" he exclaimed, shocking her by raising his voice. "Answer them."

"I don't know. Maybe. Yes," she replied, answering each question in the order it was asked. She scowled deeply at him as he scrutinized her with those piercing slate gray eyes of his.

"Figure out the answers to those questions, and you'll know if you want to stay married to him."

Minny was unable to stay upset with him because he was right. She was refusing to ask herself the hard the questions because she was too fearful of the answers.


	15. The Bitter End

The Bitter End

Minny sat beside Mr. Kuchiki as he signed the deal finishing up a week's worth of work and clinching a huge account for the company. She hoped this meant the end of a hellish week for her as well. She slid the papers toward Gin for his signature. Her pulse raced when his hand brushed hers as he took the pen from her, but she pretended not to notice. She was ready to end this and get home to a hot bath.

"Well, gentlemen, I think this is the beginning of a wonderful business relationship," Minny said, tucking the papers into a big manila envelope. She had glared at Starrk while stressing the word business. She was pleased that he offered a very professional handshake along with a slight bow to bid her farewell. She had grown tired of his bone crushing hugs that he had gotten into the habit of giving her every time he saw her. It was no coincidence that behavior had stopped as soon as Gin showed up. To her great disappointment, Gin only nodded at her and exited the room.

"Good work this week, my dear," Mr. Kuchiki said when the other men were gone. "Enjoy your week off."

"Thank you, sir. You have no idea how much I appreciate this," she stated with a big sigh of relief.

"You deserve it. Have you thought about what you are going to do with your husband?"

"I think about it every waking moment. Unfortunately, I haven't decided."

"You need to decide soon before the choice is taken away from you," he advised. "You can leave. We're done here."

"Yes, sir. Good-bye." Minny grabbed the envelope to give to Rangiku for filing. She was pleasantly surprised to see Gin standing beside her assistant's desk talking to her. She couldn't help but notice the glow on the woman's face as she talked to him. "Hey, Rangiku, why don't you go ahead and leave. Mr. Ichimaru is in town for another day, and I'm sure he'd like to have someone show him around. You could start with dinner tonight." Both people stared at her with brilliant red blushes on their faces.

"What about that paperwork?" Rangiku inquired.

"I'll take care of it. Go ahead." She smiled as the woman hurriedly began to put away things on her desk. Her breathing stopped when Gin unexpectedly put his arms around her.

"Thank you. You're the greatest," he whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek.

"Just send me a wedding invitation," she teased. Weddings. Ugh. Well, hopefully someone could find their happily ever after.

"Minny!" Ichigo called before she could hide in the file room.

"Oh, great," she mumbled. She had been able to avoid him all week. Apparently, her luck had run out.

"Minny, have you been avoiding me?" he asked, standing in front of her with his hands on his hips and his lips poked out. He was actually pouting. This is the man she had put upon a pedestal and regarded as a god. It's amazing what she had fooled herself into believing about him when the truth was so different.

"No. Of course not," she lied, not even attempting to cover up the sarcasm in her voice. She moved past him to go to the file room so she could get out of here.

"Why?" he persisted, following her.

"Because the last thing I need right now is temptation on a platter when I'm trying to figure out whether I want to stay married or not," she answered with irritation in her voice. She walked into the room full of floor to ceiling shelves that were actually filing cabinets. She ignored him as he sat down on the table while she prepared a file folder for the documents. A much anticipated week of vacation would start on Monday. Where would she go? What would she do? What about dinner with Grimmjow on Saturday night? Damn – that had slipped her mind.

"Are you listening to me?" he inquired peevishly, his orange eyebrows drawn together over his nose.

"No," she responded flatly, climbing up on the ladder to find the proper place for the file on the shelf. She jumped to the floor rather than descending the last two steps, intent on making a quick exit.

"Honey, please," he said, seizing her wrist.

"Ichigo, let me go," she ordered firmly. She attempted to pull away from him, but he held on to her. "What do you want from me?"

"Everything," he responded, letting her go.

Minny shook her head, walking out of the room. He was not helping her at all right now. He seemed to be more intent on attacking while she was weak rather than giving her time to make a decision. She hurried to the elevator almost desperate to get home. The doors opened to reveal Toshiro. "Hi! Am I glad to see you!" she exclaimed, throwing herself into his arms.

"Hello to you too," he replied, hugging her back. "Are you all right?"

"No. Can you take me home?" she inquired, resting her head on his chest.

"Bad week huh?"

"You have no idea."

"Are you any closer to a decision?" he asked, stroking her hair.

"No. I just don't know what to do. I don't think love is enough. I can't even trust him with my deepest secrets and who I really am," she murmured, breaking the embrace as the doors opened to the lobby.

"You'll figure it out. You'll make the right decision," he assured her, letting her go as the elevator doors opened.

Minny gave herself a twenty-four hour time limit. She had until dinner with her husband tomorrow night to make her decision. 

* * *

><p>Minny nervously toyed with her glass of wine as she waited alone at the table in the restaurant. He was late and she was getting angrier as the minutes ticked by. Her decision was becoming clear. She pulled out her phone to text Ishida. When she hit send, the blue haired asshole showed up.<p>

"Hi, sweetheart. Sorry I'm late," he apologized, kissing her on the cheek.

"Yeah. Me too," she said, ignoring the bouquet of lilies he handed her. They were even tied with a light blue ribbon like on their wedding day.

"So should we even continue?" he inquired, staring at her with no emotion whatsoever.

"No. I'm done. I've lost my appetite, and I have a meeting in an hour so I think I'll just leave. Good –bye," she stated flatly, standing up.

"A meeting?"

"Ishida is going to draw up the divorce papers for me. Although he's a corporate lawyer, he's still a lawyer. We have no children and no assets to separate so it's a matter of filling in the blanks and sending it to the court."

"So that's it?" Grimmjow asked, completely bumfuzzled. How could this be happening? She was not even crying. Is this a bad joke?

"Yes, this is it. I love you, but I can't do this. I can't be married to you. If it makes you feel any better, it really is me and not you," she said, getting up to leave.

"That's only half way true. I'm sorry I couldn't be the man you needed. I really wanted to be," he stated in a low voice, staring straight ahead. "Minny, can I have one more night?"

Minny closed her eyes taking a deep breath. She hoped she did not regret this. "One last night. Come to my apartment at midnight. I want you gone before dawn."

"I understand." 

* * *

><p>Minny waited on her couch dressed in one of his light blue dress shirts and nothing else. She had forced away all emotion to get through this and actually enjoy it. They were going to say good-bye and let it be over. When she heard the soft knock at the door, she was unable to move at first.<p>

"Minny!" It was Ichigo.

"What are you doing here?" she asked after opening the door.

"We need to talk," he said, pushing her back into the apartment. He was holding an envelope in his hand which he gave to her when they sat down on the couch.

Minny's heart felt as if it were going to beat out of her chest. What is going on?

"Just read it," Ichigo said, handing her the envelope.

Minny carefully opened the envelope and pulled out the single, small sheet of paper inside. She was shaking so badly the paper was flapping and she could not make out the words.

"Honey," he whispered, holding her hand to steady it so she could read. He did not want to read the words to her.

_Dear Minny,_

_By the time you read this, I will be gone. I would say don't come look for me, but I doubt you would anyway. Don't worry. I signed the divorce papers. I set you free. I love you and I always will. And that's why I have to leave. This will have to be our good-bye._

_Grimmjow_

Minny never meant for him to have to walk away from his life. The tears flowed down her cheeks from this unexpected turn of events. She was angry but she was not sure why. It seemed like it would be better this way. She dropped the note and looked at the orange haired man sitting beside her.

"He's gone? He's really gone?" she inquired, pressing the heel of her hand to her forehead as if trying to shove that fact into her brain.

"Yeah, honey, he's gone," he replied, reaching to twist one of her brown curls around his finger. "I went by his apartment and everything is gone. I found that note and a few boxes of your stuff there."

"Damn," she muttered, closing her eyes.

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No. Stay."

"I'll always be with you, Minny. I'll never leave your side."

At the time, neither one of them knew exactly how much he meant those words or how right he would be. 

* * *

><p>AN: The end of _Grimmjow's Personal Assistant. The General Nuisance_ is the sequel. There will likely be revisions made _The General Nuisance_ in the near future.


End file.
